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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557897">A Sinner With A Smile</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutiitt/pseuds/shutiitt'>shutiitt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Regression/De-Aging, Alive Carla Yeager, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Armin Arlert is a Little Shit, Assassination, Badass Armin Arlert, Badass Eren Yeager, Badass Mikasa Ackerman, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Character's Name Spelled as Bertholdt, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Character's Name Spelled as Jaeger, Crossdressing Eren Yeager, Doctor Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Eren Yeager Has Issues, Eren Yeager Has a Secret, Eren Yeager Sees The Ocean, Eren Yeager is a Little Shit, Eren Yeager-centric, Gender Disguise, Genocide, Hange Zoë's Experiments, Human Experimentation, Illegal Activities, Knives, Mature Eren Yeager, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Armin Arlert &amp; Eren Yeager are Roommates, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Eren Yeager Are Siblings, Murder, Mutilation, Overprotective Eren Yeager, POV Eren Yeager, POV Third Person, Protective Eren Yeager, Psychopath Eren Yeager, Sick Carla Yeager, Smart Eren Yeager, Time Travel, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifters, Titan-Haired Eren Yeager, Titans, Torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:53:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutiitt/pseuds/shutiitt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The war ends, yet Eren Jaeger is the sole person left alive. With the blood of his beloved ones in his hands, he closes his eyes, but when he opens them, he's five again. With newfound ambitions, Eren decides to use his second chance to protect his loved ones at all cost.</p><p>This time, everything will be different.</p><p>~Cross-posted on Wattpad (shutiitt_real) and FanFiction.net (shutiitt)~</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carla Yeager &amp; Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager &amp; Grisha Yeager, Eren Yeager &amp; Original Character(s), Levi &amp; Erwin Smith &amp; Hange Zoë, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Armin Arlert &amp; Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>653</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>wwwwwww</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue/Teaser</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the busy streets of Wall Rose, many refugees resided. After the fall of Wall Maria two years ago, the citizens who had survived had come to the city of Trost, leading to overpopulation and lack of daily essentials. To solve this problem, the government commissioned most citizens back to the now danger-zone, and most lost their lives there.</p><p>Thankfully, mothers with children under the age of 15 were allowed to stay, so many families had managed to keep their lives, although losing the males of the household because of it. Still, they kept on living. They had no time to be stuck in the past.</p><p>Most refugees couldn't even get a job, let alone afford to reside in a house, so the homeless population had multiplied several times in the past two years. They got by using their pickpocketing skills or begging. Some even kidnapped and sold people for money, while others became hitmen or informants for wealthy clients.</p><p>Currently, one of the pickpockets was selecting his next target. He was a skinny blond man with a filthy look. His clothes were overused, looking like rags, and his face looked dark from being unable to clean himself.</p><p>His eyes swept from person to person, before a small figure caught his eye. It was the figure of a ten-to-twelve-year-old child who had long dark brown hair. From his hair, he determined the child to be female.</p><p>From the girl's clothes and clean appearance, he knew that she resided in a house. Also, seeing that she could shop at the open market, she must have some money. Her clothes weren't expensive, and she didn't have a regal aura, but he could discern that she at least had enough money for him to meet his needs for a day or two.</p><p>Deciding that she was his target, he inconspicuously started to follow her, blending into the crowd to go unnoticed. Tailing her was easy, as she was a mere child, and one with a home at that. She probably didn't even have strong survival instincts that the homeless had, making her an easy target.</p><p>Finally, after ten or so minutes, the girl exited the market and took a turn, entering the backstreets. The man knew the timing had come, and rushed after her, a pleased smirk on his face. Turning the corner, he ran to the girl, grabbed one of her arms and slammed her into the wall, emitting a cry of pain from his victim.</p><p>Smirking down at her, he made a delightful discovery: this kid was gorgeous! Especially those bright sea-green eyes of hers, they were a rarely-seen colour! If he sold her to a slave merchant, he would be able to fetch a high price.</p><p>Licking his lips, he enjoyed the fearful expression on the child's face. </p><p>"Looks like this is my lucky day," he commented with an enthusiastic grin. He took a step forward, and the girl immediately cowered into herself, shaking in fear.</p><p>"Don't come near me!"</p><p>Her cries were melodic to his ears. His grin grew wider as he took another step forward, studying her up from head to toe.</p><p>"Hmm, now that I think about it, before I sell you, why don't I play with you for a while? Those bastard merchants probably won't care whether you're a virgin or not as long as I don't damage your face." </p><p>Yes, this man was the filthiest of filths. He not only sold people for money but even raped people for fun! He was especially attracted to young girls, a perfect example of a perverted paedophile.</p><p>The scum of a man raised his arm, ready to seize the young girl by the shoulder, but before he could do so, at a swiftness faster than his visional capabilities, a sharp object was swung towards him, making pain erupt in his raised arm.</p><p>He yowled in pain and went to grip his arm, but found that it wasn't there. His eyes widened as he saw blood gushing out of his now empty shoulder socket, and he couldn't help but scream in a mixture of pain and fear, falling on his bottom and soiling his pants at the same time.</p><p>"W-wha-" </p><p>Before he could say anything else, his eyes caught a shimmer of silver, and his head turned reflexively. What he saw chilled him to the bones:</p><p>There stood the young girl he had just attempted to molest, a long knife dripping with blood in her hands, and a completely different aura from before. What frightened him the most was her eyes, though.</p><p>Her eyes, which had been carrying a look of purity and childish innocence a moment ago now held a completely emotionless light and paired with her blood-covered body, the girl looked like a seasoned assassin on a mission. There was no compassion for him in the dull void called her eyes, and just the icy glint of them nearly made him pass out from fear, his only reason being awake being the pain from his missing arm socket.</p><p>The girl approached him, one silent step at a time, and the man found himself freezing, even though his instincts compelled him to run away. He was utterly petrified, feeling like prey in front of a predator, caught and outmatched and only a second away from his demise.</p><p>He finally regained his voice when the girl's feet reached his body, halting in place.</p><p>"Wh-what do you wanna do?" </p><p>His voice was like a cornered rabbit's, no energy left in it, only a transfixed fear.</p><p>Instead of answering, the girl clicked her tongue, eyes now showing an emotion: repugnance.</p><p>"Tch, how pathetic," she said with a scorning look. She then took out a moss-coloured handkerchief from her pocket and started cleaning her bloodstained blade attentively. All the while, the man sat immobile beneath her short but majestic frame, shivering in fear. Her eyes once again found the man's beneath his feet, and the vermin felt like he was looking at a large mountain, imposing and towering over him. Despite her young age, he had never seen one emitting so much power before. He felt pressured with every breath he took, heartbeat quickening as he struggled to inflate his lungs under the thicky, heavy aura of approaching death.</p><p>"Filth like you are always the same. You are selfish, disgusting creatures who share the same skin as humans, yet you couldn't even be compared to the lowest ones! Monsters like you do not deserve to live. I do not kill humans, but you cannot be considered one. You are just a disgusting piece of shit without an ounce of humanity, who kills people for no reason, tortures them for amusement, and still thinks himself above others. You feed on their misery and enjoy their suffering, yet when the time comes for you to pay for your sins, you do not find yourself at fault, not in the slightest. How revolting." After her passionate speech, she was panting slightly but managed to compose herself shortly after, raising her blade. Her eyes stared at him like he was the dirtiest thing she had ever seen, even worse than dirt under her shoes."Well, any last words?"</p><p>The man stared at her, palsied in shock and fear, and some time had to pass before he could finally comprehend her words and start sobbing hysterically.</p><p>"Please, I was wrong! I know I did many despicable things, but I did it to survive!" At her responding cool gaze, he knew he had made a mistake and immediately prostrated himself before her, tugging at her pant leg desperately. "Please! I will amend myself! I swear I will never sin again! I will be your slave until the end of my life! I beg of you, please spare my life!"</p><p>The green-eyed girl stared indifferently at his pleads for mercy, and kicked him away harshly, causing him to stumble into a puddle of mud. As he rose to his knees and whimpered, holding his aching stomach, she once again approached him, her rhythmic steps making her sound like an upcoming grim reaper, ready to take his life away without a care.</p><p>"Begging changes nothing. You can make your amends in Hell!" </p><p>She then swiftly slashed down and beheaded the man before he could say any more. His head rolled off, a panicked expression etched on the now cooling muscles forever, and blood spurted everywhere. It covered every inch of the ground around the body, soaking the dirty and uneven pavement beneath in crimson.</p><p>The girl stared emotionlessly at the corpse, clothes soaked in sticky crimson liquid. Her pale-coloured face also had a few drops on blood on it, and the vivid colour only shone brighter against her milky skin. It was a sight to behold, filled with elegance yet ruthlessness, a perfect picture of an assassination. The pungent smell of iron started to cover the area, and the girl knew that if she didn't leave soon, people would notice the scent and discover her near the corpse.</p><p>With one last disgust-filled glance at the lifeless scumbag, she turned around and walked away, disappearing behind the corner.</p><p>She had only walked for five minutes when she heard a chuckle behind her, and spun around, face still relaxed. Her lazy reaction revealed that she had detected the person before her laughter, and was probably acquainted with them as well.</p><p>With an irked click of her tongue, she spoke up, this time, her voice surprisingly deeper than a few minutes ago.</p><p>"Lucinda. What do you want?"</p><p>The now named person walked out of the shadows with another soft giggle, her voice as velvety and free as the warm summer winds, the gentle tune pleasant to the ears.</p><p>"Ah, Eren-kun, as sombre as always."</p><p>The person was a woman, looking to be around her mid-twenties. She was of average height and had a voluptuous figure, with curly red hair and chocolate brown eyes, and her lips raised into a seductive smile. From the way she held herself, one could easily discern that she was a courtesan, a high-ranked one at that.</p><p>The charming woman took another step forward, the slight sway in her wide hips an excellent to bewitch men, but ineffective in front of Eren.</p><p>"Disguising yourself as a woman and killing people again, eh?"</p><p>She seemed not in the slightest bit repulsed or frightened by the idea, by contrast having an amused glint in her eyes, matching her joking tone.</p><p>Eren, now identified as a boy, snorted coldly, sticking his chin upwards tenaciously.</p><p>"I prefer the term 'cleansing society of filth'," he replied, his expression the complete opposite of the woman in front of him. He then crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the woman icily. "And don't let me repeat myself."</p><p>Lucinda heard the threat clearly and raised her arms to signify resignation.</p><p>"Fine," she huffed, and although she acted offended, her eyes showed that that wasn't the case at all. "I was just concerned about you. It's not like I will inform Mikasa-chan and Armin-kun about this."</p><p>Suddenly, a chilly aura surrounded the alleyway they were within. Eren's cold eyes had grown even icier, and the bloodlust he was leaking was nothing to belittle either. Even though Lucinda knew that Eren wouldn't hurt her, she couldn't help but shiver at the predatorial glint in the boy's eyes.</p><p>"Are you... threatening me?" he asked, voice perfectly steady and expression calm, but his tranquillity only increased Lucinda's weariness. She unconsciously gulped in anxiety, her confident mask only slightly shaky, proving her a true master at the art, and spoke up once again, eager to calm him down and get rid of this oppressing aura obstructing her breathing.</p><p>"Not at all," she answered his thinly veiled threat, clenching her sweaty fists tightly enough to feel pain, and using the feeling to stabilize her chaotic thoughts. "I'm just saying that if you keep going home all bloody like that, they will find out about your... secret hobbies."</p><p>The bloodlust completely disappeared within a second, and Eren raised an eyebrow indifferently.</p><p>"Oh? Do I have these... secret hobbies?" he asked challengingly, and seeing the stubborn look in his eyes, Lucinda couldn't help but sigh in defeat.</p><p>"Alright, you win," she admitted. "Just... be more careful. I know that you are an excellent fighter, but you are still only a twelve-year-old boy. Adults are naturally stronger than you, therefore, if you get caught, you might not be able to escape."</p><p>Her face was full of sincere concern for him, so Eren's cold face softened slightly.</p><p>"I know," he said, his imposing aura suddenly disappearing and an air befitting his age replacing it, his face taking on a sheepish expression. His eyes then gained a teasing glint as he grinned youthfully. "Plus, aren't you the one who taught me how to act? You of all people should be confident in my deception skills. With how quickly I get in character, it would be a miracle for me to get caught off guard. My schemes aren't <em> that </em> easy to see through, let alone destroy."</p><p>Lucinda laughed heartily at that, her face taking on a new level of allure with her sincere happiness.</p><p>"Of course, you're my prized pupil after all." she teased him back. Suddenly, she gained a thoughtful expression, her eyes clouding slightly and her slender index finger tapping on her chin. "Although... with how natural you are at seduction, I would have much preferred you being a girl. Trust me, you would have been one of the most popular courtesans in no time."</p><p>Eren's face morphed into irritation, and he sent the redhead a flustered look, his cheeks flaming slightly in embarrassment, causing Lucinda to laugh at his reaction.</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>They then chased each other playingly out of the alley, leaving ringing laughter behind them as they went. The only evidence of the two people's presence in the alleyway was a drop of blood from Eren's pants, and while it <em> was </em> discovered by the police hours later, nobody came upon any more clues towards the killer's identity, and the case was closed like that, just like many similar cases that had happened before.</p><p>The grim truth was that homeless people died every day, and nobody had enough motivation or energy to chase their potential killers. The police didn't even care unless a case benefited them. Therefore, the slums would gain many tens of new corpses every day.</p><p>But this was normal. Because in Wall Rose lived many homeless people, many of which killed for their survival, and they would continue to do so unless they managed to get a stable job.</p><p>Sadly, only around one out of a hundred homeless people could ever get a job, and even then, it being a stable job was an even lower possibility.</p><p>And so, even when the streets were dyed red and people stopped breathing every day, life went on as if nothing happened.</p><p>Nobody cared about the homeless, and they never would.</p><p>Humans were selfish like that, but that was how they survived.</p><p>And survival was the utmost priority in this cruel, wretched world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Dream or a Memory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eren awoke once again after closing his eyes and deciding he wouldn't anymore. He also opened his eyes inside a room and a bed, two essential things that didn't exist anymore.</p><p>His eyes surveyed the room with a familiar feeling, yet his thoughts were quite muddled, and he couldn't remember why he felt <em>deja vu</em>.</p><p>Hmm, maybe he was dreaming? It would explain both his muddled thoughts and the familiar scenery. Or was he inside one of his memories again? He had done that for a while, hadn't he?</p><p>After all, why would he continue to live in a world where his comrades- his brothers, his <em>family</em>- had ceased on existing anymore?</p><p>The thoughts of the dead made his head throb with pain, and he groaned, closing his eyes. How much time had it been since he had ever felt pain like this?</p><p>Now that he thought about it, his hands hadn't reflexively held his head. Was there a problem with them? He tried to move them, but his efforts were unrewarded. Prying open one eye and tilting his head slightly, he tried to look at his arms but was awarded another bout of piercing pain that shook his observations apart.</p><p>Damn, that had hurt like a <em>bitch</em>.</p><p><em>Wait</em>. His eyes flew open, filled with astonishment. It<em>hurt</em>?</p><p>Didn't that mean he wasn't dreaming? Sorting through his memories didn't make him experience pain either. Was he... actually <em>awake</em> right now? But that was impossible! His thirteen years were up! He should be <em>dead</em>!</p><p>Before he could think more clearly, the door opened, and in came another surprise: a walking, talking Carla Jaeger, who had died <em>thirteen fucking years</em> ago, acting as if nothing was wrong, and Eren had to question his sanity, again for the twentieth time that month.</p><p>Maybe the pain was psychological, and he was having delusions right now? Had he finally gone insane after three years of total solitude? That seemed quite plausible to him. He'd heard about people going insane from solitude for a month, let alone <em>three whole years</em>.</p><p>His sanity questioning was interrupted by a cool hand touching his forehead, and Eren realised in the back of his mind at that moment, that <em>oh, he had a fever</em>.</p><p>And that was even less possible than feeling pain in his mind. Eren hadn't gotten sick a single time after becoming a Titan Shifter at age ten. Was he really losing his mind?</p><p>A chuckle broke through his jumbling thoughts, as clear and refreshing as the summer breeze, a melody he remembered clearly even after many years of its absence. His mother's voice had always been his favourite tune, and he would probably remember this tune until the day he died.</p><p>Once again, that meant he wasn't dead. Especially since according to Connie who occasionally spouted religious bullshit he had learned from his mother, when you died you met your dead loved ones and they hugged you and welcomed you and shit.</p><p>Since his mother wasn't saying anything like that, Eren was pretty sure that wasn't the case, but what would Connie know since he hadn't even been dead at the time?</p><p>Memories of <em>blood, crushed limbs, a cracked skull, dull grey eyes</em> flashed in his mind, and he could feel his heart clench painfully. It had been more than three years since the nearly-bald boy's death, yet it was still quite painful to remember. He had accepted it, of course, but his heart still throbbed with sadness anytime he reminisced about the boy who had always been cheerful until Sasha's death.</p><p>Brushing away those memories, Eren could hear his mother's soothing voice coming from atop him, her hand ruffling his hair lovingly just like she had done so when he was young, and for a second, Eren thought that<em>if this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up</em>.</p><p>With a soft giggle from atop his head, he noticed that he had unconsciously snuggled into his mother's soft palm, and if he wasn't already red from his fever he would now be considered a tomato.</p><p>
  <em>Jean would tease me to death if he saw me like this.</em>
</p><p>Jean. That name brought him many unwanted memories.</p><p>Jean yelling, Eren's arm swinging, Jean lunging towards it, flashes, <em>screams</em>, Jean falling <em>limp</em> towards the ground, his head <em>caved in</em>, <em>blood splattering into the air as he fell, all four limbs twisted in unnatural directions</em>, then <em>splat</em>.</p><p>Eren could feel his stomach twisting uncomfortably, and he had never wanted to vomit more before. Throwing himself in a sitting position, he twisted his head to the side and threw his insides out, stomach clenching painfully as he did so.</p><p>He could hazily hear his mother's soothing voice and feel her warm palm rubbing between his shoulder blades and the small of his back, whispering him that <em>it was going to be okay</em>and that <em>he was just a bit sick, that's all</em>.</p><p>Eren concentrated on her mother's voice, the image of a dead Jean still plastered against his eyelids, and started to calm down. It seemed Captain Levi had been right, trauma was best dealt with by being supported.</p><p>Another flash of memory appeared in his mind with the name, but he quickly cut it off forcefully. No, he was not dealing with that today. He had enough to think about right now. For example, understanding what the <em>fuck</em> was going on right now.</p><p>The last thought made his mind suddenly clear, and Eren's eyes snapped open, meeting the warm orbs of his mother. He couldn't help but freeze in his spot, then hurl himself on her, with whatever little strength he had.</p><p>"<em>Mother</em>!"</p><p>The woman obviously hadn't been expecting the sudden gesture, but she instinctively wrapped her hands around the small body of her son, laughing softly in surprise.</p><p>"You surprised me!" she commented jokingly. "Also, what happened to calling me 'Mama', Eren-chan?"</p><p><em>Eren-chan</em>. His mother had stopped calling him that when he had saved Mikasa, saying that he was a big boy already. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the girl during his time here. From what he remembered, wherever he was, Mikasa was, especially during the time his parents were still alive, and that situation had been repeated until the girl's death.</p><p><em>Mikasa</em>. Flashes of pain enveloped his body, and he quickly pulled himself from his mother's embrace and proceeded to throw up once more.</p><p>He could hear his mother's amused comment about him catching a nasty cold, and suddenly, he was enlightened, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fitting in.</p><p>His mother was alive. He had a nasty fever. Mikasa wasn't living with them yet, so he was obviously under the age of nine. His body stature was that of a five-to-six-year-old child. He also remembered his mother telling him about a time he had had a very high fever before due to playing in the rain for too long.</p><p><em>He was a child again</em>.</p><p>Eren could feel the last bits of his sanity slipping at the realisation, and he mercilessly rubbed his chubby hands to his scalp, trying to wake himself up from this nightmare-slash-blessing.</p><p>What the fuck? That wasn't possible! Yes, he had technically travelled to the past before, but even that hadn't been physical, let alone de-ageing him. There was simply no way even the Attack Titan had that ability, nuh-uh, he wasn't believing that.</p><p>His nose scrunched up at his thought process. <em>Nuh-uh</em>? What the shitty hell was that? How childish was he? He was a freaking <em>twenty-three-year-old</em>, not a snivelling <em>kid</em>.</p><p>Maybe his mental capabilities were also regressing to a child's? Eren shuddered at the thought.</p><p>There was no way he was allowing that to happen.</p><p>And so, for three days straight, Eren fought against his child body's demands of simplifying his thought process, and for the entirety of those three days, he was wrecked with massive headaches, causing him to writhe around in agony.</p><p>At the end of those three days, Eren the adult won against Eren the kid. Suddenly, his headaches stopped, and he could now think clearly again. He discovered that he was more emotional than his usual self, but if that was the price of keeping his mature mind, he would gladly accept it.</p><p>Eren didn't know then but in those three days, his brain had forcefully matured physically with every thought too complicated for his child mind, and now, while it hadn't physically gotten bigger, it had the capabilities of an adult's brain, actually, even better than that.</p><p>As his mind had still gained some childishness from his fight against stupidity-or so he called it- he now had the curiosity of a young child, and paired with the learning capabilities of a young adult, he now had a terrifying ability.</p><p>Curiosity and intelligence were an inseparable pair, but sadly, the incredible curiosity children had were destroyed as they learned more about the world around them, getting used to things they were previously not knowledgable about and were interested in, finding them boring after solving the mysteries behind them. Now that Eren had both, he could easily learn things at an even faster pace, meaning both the barriers of a child's mind and an adult's mind were nothing to him.</p><p>After his fever subsided, Eren finally exited the covers of his bed and was met with a beautiful world that felt like a dream once more. People walked around, doing their jobs and chatting happily; a mother duck walked towards a small lake at the side with its baby ducklings behind; birds chirped melodically on tree branches and Eren had never felt so... <em>alive</em>.</p><p>As soon as he was outside, he slapped his cheeks, ensuring it wasn't a dream, and rushed off, bidding his mother farewell. (Later on, slapping his cheeks when he decided to do something would become a habit for him, creating many questions towards his strange routine.) From his subtle inquiries, he had concluded that he was now five years away from the Fall of Wall Maria, and a day away from his fifth birthday, actually. He knew he had already met Armin, so he ran through familiar roads to find him.</p><p>Armin loved lying near large ponds, imagining them as the ocean his parents had talked about before their executions, their deaths sadly happening before Eren's rebirth/time travel, leaving him only with his grandfather as family. He knew that they were killed by Djel Sannes, the same guy that killed Minister Nick in the future and was possibly involved in Commander Erwin's father's death.</p><p>Just thinking about the guy made Eren snort coldly, as he had been a coward when he was tortured, giving out information easily. He had heard of this from Squad Leader Hanji and Captain Levi during one of their breaks, and he had thought that those people's demises had been quite pitiful; at the hands of a coward.</p><p>At least the cause of Armin's parents' deaths had been their interest in the outside of the walls. If it had been because they had disobeyed a noble or something, now <em>that</em> would have been a truly unnecessary death.</p><p>With his feet leading his path automatically, he rushed through alleyways, only stopping once he heard shouting and mocking laughter. Bullying. He stopped, intrigued, and turned a corner, staying in the shadows to keep himself hidden.</p><p>What he saw made his vision turn red: Armin, dirtied and bruised on the floor, shouting at three boys looking older than them about his 'foolish' ambitions.</p><p>"I will go outside of these walls!"</p><p>One of the bullies scoffed.</p><p>"Crazy bastard, the walls are protecting us! Do you want to be eaten by the titans?"</p><p>Armin's determined look didn't falter in the slightest.</p><p>"Better die freely than caged inside these walls as you cowards will!"</p><p>His comment the bullies, and they walked over, hands fisted, teeth clenched and snarling.</p><p>"You little-"</p><p>Before the leader of the bullies could say anything more, he was knocked down by Eren who kicked him behind the knee, then slammed a knee to his nose.</p><p>"Jim!" shouted one of the sidekicks, but Eren quickly kicked his to the side, then slammed the other boy to the ground by the collar.</p><p>The boy called Jim got up then, holding his bleeding nose and furious. When he saw the familiar shaggy hair of Armin's best friend, standing with his back to him after knocking down the third boy, he growled.</p><p>"Jaeger!" he roared, swinging his fist forward, but the pain had made him disoriented, so he missed by an arm's distance. Eren simply punched his unguarded stomach, and he was knocked to the ground once again.</p><p>Seeing their leader beaten, the two lackeys quickly grabbed a hold of his arms and dragged him away in fear. Seeing that about to piss their pants like that, Eren couldn't help but grin.</p><p>When he had been an actual five-year-old, he had always been beaten down to the ground when he had attempted to fight. Now that he had years of experience in his mind, it was no problem to win against these children, even in his inferior body.</p><p>Turning around, Eren saw Armin looking up at him in awe, and his heart clenched once again. Seeing him so young and innocent, he was reminded of the future hardships he would have to face once again.</p><p>At least he wasn't having a panic attack. He had had enough of those under the influence of his three-day-long fever. Thanks to those miserable days, though, he was no longer stuck in the past, nor experienced flashbacks by names or faces. His mind was much more stable now, and he was adjusting to the time he was currently in.</p><p>His sudden maturity had surprised both of his parents, but as Eren told them about a made-up tale of having a nightmare about titans breaking through the wall and eating everyone, they were understanding (not that they knew he had <em>actually</em> experienced such a thing). Seeing as he told them he would definitively do his best to protect them, so he would start working hard to get strong, they thought that he was going through a maturity phase now.</p><p>Grisha had always been unperturbed by his strange behaviour, even when he had killed two people at the age of nine, and Eren had, later on, learned that was because Grisha was the only Titan Shifter with a child birthed <em>while</em> he was a Shifter, so he expected the unexpected to happen from the genetic mutation that had probably occurred during his son's procreation. Even the Royal Family didn't take the risk of procreating with a Shifter, yet Grisha had, due to Eren Kruger's words.</p><p>It was an advantage Eren could use, and so he did. Even when he suddenly started spouting words he didn't know a few days before, Grisha didn't think anything was wrong, and with his calmness towards the situation, Carla also didn't panic, trusting her husband, a doctor.</p><p>Snapping out of his thoughts by Armin's movement, he turned his eyes to the blond and emitted a shocked gasp from him.</p><p>"Eren, your eyes!"</p><p>At first, the man/boy didn't understand, but then his eyes widened and one hand went to cover his right eye.</p><p>"Shit."</p><p>He had forgotten to put on his contact lens.</p><p>Not many knew, but Eren had been born with heterochromia, his right eye a bright gold colour, and his left eye a deep sea-green that looked blue under some lights. As it was too distinctive, his father had made him a contact lens the colour of his left eye and told him to never reveal his eye colour to those he didn't trust.</p><p>Golden eyes weren't uncommon, but neither of his parents had them, so it was best kept a secret, especially since Grisha was nearly perfectly sure it was due to his titan genes. Also, heterochromia was considered cursed in religion, so that was another reason to keep it under wraps.</p><p>Even Armin hadn't known until the Fall of Wall Maria, Mikasa learning earlier the fact due to living with them. Now, though, due to his blunder, Armin had seen it much earlier than he would have preferred.</p><p>After some careful consideration, Eren concluded that it would be fine. The bullies had been too preoccupied with being pummeled to see his eyes, and Armin had always been trustworthy, even at a young age. Also, nobody on Paradis other than his family knew what a 'contact lens' was, so even if he was accused of having heterochromia, he would just show his lensed eye, and it would 'prove' that he wasn't.</p><p>So, raising an index finger to his mouth, he shushed him.</p><p>"I'll tell you about it at our secret place."</p><p>Armin nodded, understanding that he didn't want it to be known by others. He was aware that many religious people lived in the district of Shiganshina, and what two different coloured eyes meant in religion.</p><p>They quickly rushed to their secret hiding place, an abandoned lake with a beautiful view nobody visited due to rumours of a man dying there. It was a lie, of course, a lie that Armin and Eren had spread to keep the place empty, but nobody had to know that, right?</p><p>Remembering memories of his childhood, Eren smiled in amusement. Even as a kid, Armin had been a great tactician, hadn't he?</p><p>His reminiscing was interrupted by a purposeful cough, and Eren snapped back to reality, seeing Armin's expectant look and sighing.</p><p>"Fine, I'll explain," he said in defeat. "You know about the meaning of heterochromia in religion, right?"</p><p>Armin looked confused, and Eren realised that while smart, Armin was still a five-year-old kid.</p><p>"Heterochromia means two different coloured eyes," he explained.</p><p>Armin nodded, his eyes showing surprise.</p><p>"Since when did <em>you</em> know such big words?"</p><p>Eren waved him off.</p><p>"Doesn't matter." At his pout, he raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to continue or not?"</p><p>That shut the blond up quickly.</p><p>"As I was saying, heterochromia is considered cursed in religion, and anyone with such eyes is considered the Devil's children, and completely evil. Although the condition is rare, from what my father told me, every child born with heterochromia before had been killed." At seeing Armin's horrified look, he shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. "Nothing we could have done about it. Still, my father knows many strange things since he's a doctor, and he made this thing he called a 'lens' that is placed on the eye and changes the eye colour to protect me."</p><p>Armin looked even more horrified now.</p><p>"You.. put it <em>in</em> your eye?!"</p><p>Eren noticed his misunderstanding and shook his head, trying to soothe his fear and disgust.</p><p>"No, not <em>in</em> the eye, but <em>on</em> it. You see the coloured place here?" He pointed at his golden iris. "It's placed on it. It's basically a piece of very strong green-coloured glass. Somehow, it doesn't break easily but bends, so I don't have to worry about bumping into someone and getting stabbed in the eye, or something. Brilliant, isn't it?"</p><p>Armin looked thoughtful for a while before deadpan look took over his face.</p><p>"Still disgusting, though."</p><p>Eren pouted, making the other laugh, and they started to chatter about their mutual interest, the outside of the walls. Armin was extremely keen on going outside as his parents had wanted to, so he was a walking encyclopedia about the subject.</p><p>"-and, you know, the only way to go outside the walls is to join the Survey Corps, but facing titans would be really scary! We see them coming from their expeditions all the time, and every time, most of them die! I really want to see the outside world, especially the ocean, but being eaten by titans would be a really painful way to die, wouldn't it?"</p><p>Seeing his dilemma, Eren smiled.</p><p>"'Better die freely than caged inside these walls'," he quoted the blond, making the boy's head snap around, face filled with shock and awe. "Weren't you the one who said that?"</p><p>Armin flushed in embarrassment, covering his face shyly and emitting a chuckle from Eren.</p><p>"You heard that?" he squeaked.</p><p>Eren nodded.</p><p>"You're really brave, you know?"</p><p>Armin looked up from his arms, his cheeks even more flushed with the complement.</p><p>"H-how so?" he stuttered out, looking confused. "I get beaten every day and they call me a 'sissy'. I can't even try to punch a bully, all I do is lie down and take the pummeling, how can I be brave?"</p><p>Eren smiled, and the sheer affection in that smile made Armin breathless. Was all that love and care directed at him? Why?</p><p>"Armin," started the heterochromatic boy. "You might think you're weak, but even when everyone else is questioning your beliefs, you stay loyal to them. Even when they beat you down to the ground, you get up, and you refuse to comply with them. Can't you see?" He raised his hand and put it on the boy's arm, his smile growing even warmer and prouder, making Armin feel like he had just done an incredible deed and was awarded anything he could ever want. "This is what makes you brave. You may not be physically strong right now, but that only needs training to be solved. To be mentally strong, though, it's much harder than throwing a punch. You believe in the ocean and want to see it so much that even if you're body is broken and bleeding, you will use everything you have to achieve your dreams. If your legs are broken, you use your arms to pull yourself forward. If your arms are broken, you use your teeth to pull yourself forward. This is what it makes you strong. And to be truly strong, you first need to be brave. For without bravery, one cannot push their limits and discover their true potential. And you?" He touched his index finger on his friend's left chest. "You already have both. you just need to work hard."</p><p>Armin looked completely petrified. He just sat there, gaping at his friend who couldn't even pronounce the word 'military' a few days ago, now teaching him life lessons and motivating him. His heart beat loudly against his ears at the words he heard, repeating them over and over again in his mind.</p><p>'<em>If your legs are broken, you use your arms to pull yourself forward. If your arms are broken, you use your teeth to pull yourself forward.</em>' Now that was an ideology he could dedicate himself to.</p><p>With newfound determination, he jumped on Eren and hugged him tightly, tears falling down his cheeks steadily.</p><p>"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" he mumbled against his friends now dampened t-shirt.</p><p>Eren laughed, hugging him back.</p><p>"You deserve to be appreciated."</p><p>And so, the two friends got closer than ever before within the span of an hour. With these words of Eren, the uncertainty that would have haunted Armin for years suddenly disappeared, and taking its place, was pure resolution.</p><p>
  <strong>Author's Note: For all those religious people out there, I don't mean to offend you. It's just that Eren isn't religious and from the 'titans in walls' happening, I know that he doesn't like it either. I'm not insulting religion, this is just how I believe Eren would think. Please do not report this book because you're annoyed about my style of writing. If you don't like how I describe things, stop reading. I'm not writing this to be criticized, I'm writing because I want to write. </strong>
  <strong>That's all. </strong>
  <strong>If anyone opens up a religious argument about this, I will block you and I will report you. Be respectful of others' preferences.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Sudden Interest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time passed. Eren had now been in this new timeline for three months. In these three months, he learned about the world around him as much as he could, limiting himself to within the walls, for now, something the old him wouldn't have thought to do at all.</p><p>When he was young, all he'd ever thought of was the outside of the caging walls surrounding humanity, protecting them, yet also trapping them, keeping them from broadening their world. Now, though, after seeing the outside world, he wanted to know more about the inside, what the people who paid for their ancestor's crimes without knowing a single thing lived.</p><p>It was enlightening, to say the least. These innocent people so afraid of the titans outside the walls weren't cowards like he had thought when he was young, but they just wanted to live. Eren had always thought freedom was equal to living, but that wasn't the case most of the time.</p><p>Instead, living meant making sacrifices. A mother sacrificed their future to raise their child, a father sacrificed their time for their family, and a child sacrificed their innocence to grow up. Eren had sacrificed millions of lives to ensure his beloved ones lived, yet his sacrifice had been in vain.</p><p>So, he had sacrificed himself. Although that meant nothing in a world void of all humans but him, he had sacrificed the little time he had left to live to close his eyes and atone for the destruction he had done.</p><p>Who could have known that this atonement came in the form of time travel? Eren certainly hadn't when he had wished to repay all those he killed with his sole life. Not that it mattered any more: that future was just another branch of time, a possibility yet unclear, and Eren had already started to change things to ensure it didn't happen.</p><p>The man-turned-to-boy was snapped out of his thought by his mother's voice.</p><p>"Eren, breakfast is ready!"</p><p>As soon as he heard that, his stomach grumbled, making him snicker slightly, patting it.</p><p>"Kids really <em>do</em> need a lot of energy, huh?"</p><p>Walking into the dining room, he smiled at his mother beside the kitchen sink brightly, going over and hugging her.</p><p>"Good morning, mother!"</p><p>Carla smiled, leaning down and kissing him on top of his mop of a bedhead in amusement once the plate in her hand was cleaned. She was used to the change of addressing after being called so for the past three months.</p><p>"Good morning, Eren-chan."</p><p>Eren helped his mother set the table, then walked to down the stairs to the basement and knocked on the locked door that had taken so much time to reach after Wall Maria's fall.</p><p>"Father, breakfast is ready!"</p><p>There was a few seconds of silence, before Grisha came out, looking exhausted with the dark eye bags under his eyes, but smiling at him. He locked the door behind him, the ruffled Eren's hair gently, only serving to worsen his bird's nest.</p><p>"Thank you for informing me," he told the boy. Then, looking at his dirty hands, he hummed. "Well, I need to wash my hands first." </p><p>Eren pouted.</p><p>"Why did you touch my hair if your hands are dirty?" he complained whinily, making his father chuckle at his antics.</p><p>"Well, you haven't bathed in two days already, I don't think it matters anymore."</p><p>That was true. Since in the war washing had been a privilege he didn't have, Eren had gotten used to staying dirty. Now, being clean felt amazing, but most of the time, he couldn't bother with it. Of course, when he trained his body, which he currently did twice a week, he would wash up, but other than that, going to bed all muddy didn't trouble him at all.</p><p>Of course, it drove his mother crazy, but as long as he didn't stink, he managed to hide his dirtiness from her.</p><p>The family of three sat down and started eating their simple meal, and Eren had to say, although it only consisted of bacon and eggs, his mother certainly knew how to make it delicious. He gobbled it all down as fast as he could, drank his goblet of milk, then smiled at his amused parents.</p><p>"Thanks for the food!"</p><p>After washing his dirtied plate, he planned to go outside and find Armin as always, but an idea appeared in his head, and he stopped, then turned around, facing his father.</p><p>"Oh, right, father, I want to ask you something."</p><p>Grisha raised his head slightly, intrigued. Because of his job, he couldn't spend much time with Eren, so every second was precious time. Interacting with him made it even more enjoyable, but if it was a few months ago, Eren wouldn't talk to him much. Eren was more of a mother's boy, so he orbited around his mother.</p><p>"What is it?" he asked, watching as the boy's eyes sparkled intelligently, his slightly clouded eyes pointing out he was thinking deeply.</p><p>"Can I learn about medicine?"</p><p>Carla coughed, raising her head with a dumbfounded expression on her face. Grisha couldn't blame her though, because that hadn't been what he was expecting at all. Most of the time, Eren only talked about the outside of the walls, and this new topic was quite an abrupt change to that.</p><p>Instead of revealing his thoughts, he raised an eyebrow to signify his surprise, though his eyes shone with pride at the thought of his son wanting to learn more about his profession.</p><p>"Why the sudden interest?"</p><p>Eren shrugged. Actually, it wasn't sudden. Medicine had always intrigued him. Fixing people up as his father did was also quite fun to watch. it was just that he was so stuck on becoming a part of the Survey Corps that he hadn't even considered studying the profession.</p><p>After the war, though, he knew that most casualties came from lack of medicine. People who could have easily been treated died because of lack of medical supplies or doctors. Learning more about the human body and how to treat it would be quite beneficial, especially since the Survey Corps spent a lot of time outside the walls with limited supplies. Hell, the closest person to being a doctor there was Hanji, and she cared more about titans than humans!</p><p>He smiled at his parents, a perfectly innocent smile to hide his real thoughts, and responded with the most appropriate answer.</p><p>"I've seen you creating medicine to treat patients on the verge of death from common herbs. You also know the human body extremely well, and whether used for survival or helping others, that knowledge is quite valuable." Then a more childish grin took over his face, and he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Also, saving people is a pretty cool thing to do."</p><p>Wording it like that made it seem like the last sentence was the actual reason that he tried to hide, and seeing his parents' amused expressions, he knew that his little act had succeeded in fooling them.</p><p>Grisha nodded, accepting the answer.</p><p>"Alright, then why don't I give you a few books about the human body? Read and ask me what you don't understand, and once you finish one we'll discuss it, alright?"</p><p>Eren nodded enthusiastically, cheering happily. Carla laughed as he skipped around happily, even washing of all the dirty plates in his bout of excitement, something he usually skipped in favour of rushing to see Armin most of the time. Grisha went to his room to retrieve a few simple books to introduce medicine to beginners, which he used for some light reading before sleep.</p><p>When he handed them to Eren, the boy immediately sat down on the now empty and shining clean table (courtesy of Captain Levi's torturous cleaning sessions) opened the one on the top and started reading. Within a few minutes, he was completely absorbed in it, making Grisha feel pleased that he was so invested in it.</p><p>Eren didn't move from that spot for hours, only ever flipping the page or taking a restroom break when needed. He was so absorbed in it that he didn't even notice lunchtime had come until his mother put a bowl of chicken soup in front of him. He raised his head, a confused expression on his face, then glanced out of the window and gaped.</p><p>"Wha- the sun's so high already?"</p><p>Carla felt entertained by how deep his concentration was. She nodded at him, picking up the books on the table including the one Eren had been reading, though she put a small handmade bookmark on the page he had stopped, and placed them to a safer place to ensure food didn't spill on them.</p><p>"It's lunchtime. Take a break, alright. Reading for so long is bad for your eyes."</p><p>The boy nodded in agreement. Reading books about healthcare while not caring about his own health would be stupid. He immediately dug into his meal, thoroughly hungry after using his brain for so long. Carla also started eating, though her pace was much slower than her son, so she didn't look like someone starved for weeks.</p><p>After finishing lunch, Eren was visited by Armin, who looked concerned by him not appearing today, and the brunette was reminded that he had forgotten to inform Armin about his newfound enthusiasm. Deciding to stop reading for now, because the information was still swimming around in his brain, slowly being absorbed, and he felt like didn't have more place left in his brain to fill with knowledge.</p><p>As they walked to their lake (if no one else went there it was rightfully theirs) Eren told Armin all about what he learned, the other listening attentively. After his ramblings ceased, Armin decided to comment on his unexpected decision.</p><p>"I never knew you were interested in what your father did," he told the other, sizing him up thoughtfully. </p><p>Eren chuckled at that.</p><p>"Well, I'm not going to become a doctor or something, if that's what you're asking," he replied. "Medicine is quite interesting, but the actual reason I want to learn it is that it would help me when I join the Survey Corps."</p><p>Armin's eyes widened in understanding, respect in them for his thoughtfulness.</p><p>"Right! The Survey Corps lose a lot of people outside the walls because they don't have many doctors with them! I heard many people die from blood loss after losing a limb because they have no one who can treat larger wounds!"</p><p>Eren nodded in agreement.</p><p>"The few doctors they have can't be called doctors, either: they only know first aid. With someone who knows medicine with them, they would have much fewer casualties." His eyes then brightened as an idea appeared in his head, and he nearly flew to his feet. </p><p>"Wait, I have an idea!" he shouted triumphantly, then turned to Armin in excitement. "Since we have at least a decade until we can join them, why don't we make some medicine for them and give them when they're going out for an expedition? That would help them greatly!"</p><p>Armin's eyes widened at the implication and he nodded, just as excited as the other.</p><p>"Yeah, that would be brilliant!" He then jumped up and down in hurry. "Do you know any ingredients for blood clotting medicine or something?"</p><p>Eren shook his head, much to his disappointment, but his reply returned their enthusiasm.</p><p>"I don't, but I can ask for a book about herbs from my father! The Corps just returned from their last expedition a few days ago anyway, there's still a few weeks left until the next one happens."</p><p>"Then it's decided!" Armin shouted in delight. Eren nodded with a wide grin.</p><p>"Yeah!"</p><p>{}</p><p>In the next few weeks, Eren and Armin learned as much about herbal medicine as they could. With Grisha's permission, they could even take the books outside and use the illustrations on them for reference to search for herbs. This way, in a short amount of time, they gathered a lot of common herbs and learned how to make herbal blends for bruises and scrapes. The most advanced concoction they could make was an ointment from cooked herbs used for basic lacerations like a knife cut. It also helped lessen scars, so a beneficial one for sure.</p><p>Actually, when they were playing around making random mixtures, the two accidentally upgraded the ointment a step further. The previous one could only stop bleeding and keep the cut from deepening further, but the new one glued the skin together and made stitches unnecessary. Even if it was a deep wound that would take months to properly heal, the medicine cut the time to weeks.</p><p>When they showed it to Grisha, he was pleasantly surprised and congratulated the two on their accomplishment. He even said that he would use this medicine from now on, making the children beam in pride.</p><p>And so, the time came for the next expedition of the Survey Corps. As always, the citizens of Shiganshina gathered around the large gate of Wall Maria, waiting for the soldiers to arrive and pass through them. Eren and Armin arrived early, but they stayed a bit further from the gate, as per Eren's instructions.</p><p>The Survey Corps mostly ignored the crowd, but new soldiers who weren't used to the attention might just interact with them. So, as most of them were positioned in the middle lines due to their inexperience, they would come after the veteran soldiers from the frontlines. This was when the two would choose the kindest looking one and give a bottle of their ointment as a 'good luck charm'.</p><p>Soldiers were taught about basic medicine concoctions, so if they sniffed the bottle they would know it was an effective ointment. If they didn't die before they could use it, a high possibility since they were protected in the middle, they would be able to share the medicine with others, and this way, Eren and Armin's plan would be successful.</p><p>Let it be said that these two five-year-olds were quite the tacticians. Eren had the cunning and Armin had the emotional intellect, so together they could easily manipulate people to do what they wanted. Especially if it was for their victim's own good.</p><p>Half an hour after they arrived, the Survey Corps came, They marched through the crowd, and Eren felt the nostalgia of when he was within their ranks as well, riding his horse with pride. Armin elbowed him when his eyes clouded, and Eren snapped out of his memories. The two nodded at each other. It was time to find their prey.</p><p>Several minutes later, Armin pointed at a familiar young woman with red hair, and Eren was surprised to realise that Squad Leader Hanji was only a fresh recruit at the time. Also, she was the perfect target as she was already interested in medicine, though not a part of the Medical Squad yet. Before Hanji had become the head of the squad, it hadn't been worth shit anyway. The soldiers there at most knew how to stitch wounds.</p><p>Nodding at Armin in agreement, the two squeezed through the enthusiastic crowd just in time for the redhead to arrive in front of them. Eren knew that they didn't hold her attention yet, and he couldn't step into her way either, so he had no choice to throw it at her.</p><p>So, cupping his hands, he shouted.</p><p>"Red-haired big sister, catch this! It's a lucky charm!" Just as Hanji turned to him, he threw the bottle of ointment at her, and with honed reflexes, the woman caught it easily. Blinking in surprise, she stared at the bottle with slight intrigue.</p><p>"Medicine?" she muttered, looking around for who had thrown it. Her eyes caught the brilliant sea green orbs of a small boy, and the child grinned, waving at her enthusiastically, elbowing his shell-shocked blond friend to do the same.</p><p>"It's medicine for cuts! Good luck on the expedition!"</p><p>Hanji couldn't help but laugh at their enthusiasm and waved back with a smile.</p><p>"Thanks, kid!"</p><p>She had no idea how much this little bottle of medicine would help them in the future.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Expedition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hanji watched as another member of her squad cut through a titan advancing towards them, weeping about the fact that she could have run experiments on it if it had been detained alive. While she did not yet have permission to research titans more thoroughly, she had sent a letter to the higher-ups informing them of her line of interest and intention, and she had no doubt she would get what she wanted soon.</p><p>Humanity didn't know much about titans, so every little bit of knowledge was vital. And while that was the case, so many were absolutely terrified by these weird human-eating creatures that new information was scarcely discovered in the past few years.</p><p>Hanji was determined to be the person who held the torch towards this seemingly endless darkness.</p><p>Suddenly, she spotted a black flare signal from the side, and Moblit, riding next to her, swore loudly.</p><p>"Shit! Incoming abnormal from the right flank!"</p><p>The other two let out their own string of curses at the information, but Hanji felt her heart fluttering in excitement.</p><p>An abnormal titan! These were much more interesting from normal titans, seeming to have actual intelligence, and frustrating unpredictability, causing many soldiers to die. Hanji had heard that one had even selected people to kill and ignored others entirely.</p><p>She could feel her mouth salivating at the thought of catching one, tying it up, then experimenting on it. How would its insides be? What about its stomach? How fast would it regenerate in the day compared to the night?</p><p>She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sight of a twelve-meter tall titan running towards them, a peaceful smile on its face, lips tainted with crimson and eyes looking exactly like a person high on drugs'.</p><p>One of her squad members rushed towards it, blades set in his hands, and Hanji knew right then and there that he was going to die. His face didn't have any confidence, only instability and fear, and his irrational behaviour pointed out that he was clearly frightened insane. There was no hope for him.</p><p>Her prediction came true a few seconds later when the man flew up using his vertical manoeuvring equipment, straight into the waiting hands of the titan, who squeezed him, the pressure crushing the man's body from the head down and causing an agonized scream to escape his lips. It then opened its hand, giving the soldiers a chance to see the man's mangled body with blood covering everywhere, guts visible under his squeezed internal organs, then raised him and took a bite, beheading him with his teeth.</p><p>As if that wasn't enough, it then turned to the squad members and smiled even more widely and innocently, as if it was doing nothing wrong, with his lips and cheeks stained with the sticky crimson blood of the beheaded and crushed human whose body still was held in his hand, blood exiting the place where the neck was supposed to be like a stream. It looked like a child eating candy, just a much more morbid version, seeing as humans had morals. Morals that indicated <em> seeing a fellow human getting eaten was not a good thing. </em></p><p>With another war cry, the third squad member, tears falling down her face, also marched towards the titan, her face filled with an incredible amount of sadness and hatred. Hanji was sure that indicated she was quite close to their now dead squadmates, but as she didn't know either of their names nor was she interested in either of them, she could only imagine that they were either close friends or involved with each other.</p><p>She didn't give their relation much thought as she shuffled through her pouch, finding her signal flare and raising it to the air, ready to fire it into the air. Just as she was about to, though, she was distracted by the sound of Moblit's voice. It was filled with a solemn air, and Hanji was surprised, yet at the same time she wasn't, to find that he didn't sound afraid at all. The man had always been able to keep his calm in the right situations, yet be remarkably anxious at others. </p><p>For example, that one time she had decided to prank their Commanding Instructor and managed to rope Moblit into joining her as an accomplice, only to get caught within ten minutes of devising their plan. He had nearly pissed himself while getting scolded.</p><p>"Hanji, I already fired the flare. Focus on eliminating the titan!"</p><p>It seems while she was daydreaming about the titan, Moblit had already swiftly reacted, doing what he was supposed to do. He had always been like that, a responsible and exemplary soldier. The two had been in the same training corps, and while that wasn't enough for the male to be memorable, Moblit had been the sole person to listen to her ramblings about titans and be interested in learning more about the subject.</p><p>As the female soldier was grabbed by the teeth of the abnormal titan, getting crushed and chewed not a moment later, the two nodded at each other, then separated. Hanji rushed in front of the titan as a distraction, cutting through the tendon on its left ankle when it moved to catch her, and as it stumbled, Moblit threw his grapple hooks and flew up, slashing at its unprotected nape.</p><p>The titan fell down, and Hanji moved out of its way with haste, meeting Moblit behind the giant body. She could see a slight depressive shadow settling into her now sole squadmate's eyes when he took in the situation once again, so she slapped his back, giving him an encouraging grin.</p><p>"Come on, no time to dwell on the dead. You can do that when we set up camp tonight." </p><p>She then called the horses over, and when she turned back around, Moblit had returned to his calm demeanour, giving her a nod of thanks. She let out a playful groan.</p><p>"Man, I wish we could have captured it alive. What a waste of experimental resources!"</p><p>At the twitch of the man's brow, she knew he was alright now, and they set off towards their pre-arranged camp destination. They were only around ten minutes behind schedule, so they could easily catch up to the rest of the group.</p><p>{}</p><p>As night set and the titans finally stopped moving, the remaining members of the Survey Corps finally relaxed, sitting around the campfire they had created, provisions in hand. This group in the camp contained a large number of new recruits, so quite a few deaths had occurred, reducing the number of soldiers by a lamentable thirty per cent. This was a usual situation, so the more experienced soldiers looked unmoved by the tears of the teenagers amongst them, grieving for the people they had known for years, only to lose so abruptly and horrifyingly.</p><p>Hanji couldn't really feel sympathetic with them. She had been aware of the consequences of joining the Survey Corps since day one, yet had joined since she had sincerely wanted to make contributions towards humanity's future. And see titans with her own eyes. And of course, experiment on them. The latter was <em>definitely </em>not the main reason, okay?</p><p>As she moved her arm to take a bite out of her sandwich, she flinched by a flaring pain coming from her forearm. Turning her arm around, she saw a large gash there, having stopped bleeding long ago and filled with soil. It seemed, from the thrill of viewing the battlefield of humanity for the first time, she hadn't noticed getting wounded.</p><p>Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she reached towards her pouch and searched through it for some ointment. She could swear she had some in there...</p><p>Her fingers touched a cold bottle, and she let out a harrumph of victory, grasping it and pulling it out. When she saw it, though, she realised it was different from the bottle she had prepared.</p><p>This reminded her of the boy who had thrown her this bottle in the morning, and she smiled softly. It was nice to see that the Survey Corps was still well-liked after sacrificing hundreds of people for its cause.</p><p>She popped open the cap, and the medical aroma enveloped the place, light and refreshing. Several heads turned towards her at the scent, and a few people noticed the large gash on her arm.</p><p>A blonde woman she vaguely remembered to be from her training corps moved towards her with visible concern.</p><p>"Wah, Hanji-san, you're wounded so badly! Let me help you apply ointment on your arm."</p><p>Hanji nodded in thanks, handing over the bottle, then taking out a small piece of clean cloth from her pouch and wetting it with the water from her canteen. She cleaned the dirt from her wound with a sharp hiss escaping her lips from the stinging, and the cloth in her hand immediately became a dark red colour from the dry blood staining it.</p><p>The blonde woman let out a gasp as she sniffed the bottle, her face filled with amazement.</p><p>"This smells different from the usual ointment we have! Did you use a different recipe?"</p><p>Hanji blinked in astonishment. She had noticed it had smelt slightly different when she had first been gifted it, but she had thought that was because of the crowd around them, distorting her sense of smell due to all the different scents coming from all four directions.</p><p>"A kid gave it to me for good luck," she replied, leaning towards the bottle and taking a sniff herself. From what she could tell, a few ingredients were different from the standard one, and the concoction smelt much more refreshing for some reason. "Hmm, it really is different, but not that much. It's probably still effective."</p><p>She then grabbed the bottle, and before anyone could say anything, dipped her finger in it, then covered a part of her gash with it. The woman gasped in shock, frantically reaching to her arm.</p><p>"Hanji-san, how could you trust an unknown substance? What if it harms you?" she cried out in alarm, trying to clean her wound of the ointment.</p><p>Hanji pulled her arm back and examined it in interest. Hmm, it didn't seem to have a different effect than the standard ointment. She looked closely, pinching the skin around the wound, and all of a sudden a cool feeling enveloped the coated in area. Her eyes widened as the wound suddenly seemed a lot better, better than any medicine should make it feel.</p><p>Her surprise caused alarm within the soldiers, and Moblit stood up, moving next to her, eyes shining with anxiety.</p><p>"What's wrong? Does it hurt? Are you having an allergic reaction? What if your wound starts bleeding again?" he rambled, and only calmed down when Hanji smiled wildly at him.</p><p>"This ointment is amazing! I've never seen medicine this effective before. It's at least five times better than the standard recipe!" she exclaimed, gaining awed gasps.</p><p>"Are you sure?" Moblit asked, his own voice filled with shock. At Hanji's affirmative nod, the camp burst into chaotic movement.</p><p>Medicine was incredibly important for the Survey Corps. Whenever they went on expeditions, they could only bring a limited amount of supplies with them, and that caused a lot of casualties. They had no other choice, however, as they could not be weighed down.</p><p>A medicine twice as effective as the standard one would be revolutionary, but this medicine was actually so much better than that! If they could get more of it, their casualties would certainly decrease a drastic amount.</p><p>People who remembered it was given by a child asked Hanji about the appearance of the boy, yet all Hanji could remember was the sea-green eyes of the child. Within the crowd, capturing more detail was impossible, yet this already cut the possibilities a lot.</p><p>That shade of eyes wasn't common within the walls, yet it couldn't be said to be uncommon either. Most had brown and black eyes, so coloured eyes attracted attention. If they did their research thoroughly enough, they would be able to find the boy.</p><p>The real problem was how they were going to get permission to search. The government detested the Survey Corps, so they would certainly not help them, instead doing the opposite and hiding the boy for themselves. Going to them wouldn't help their case in the slightest.</p><p>The most they could do was search for him when they went back. There was a high possibility of him being within the crowd for their return since he had been helpful towards them, signifying his appreciation of them. But, finding him within the thick mass of civilians would be a pain in the ass. They could only depend on their luck with that.</p><p>In the end, all they knew was where he lived, his eye colour and a place he would be at a specific time, yet they couldn't guarantee the last one.</p><p>Hanji heaved a sigh of exasperation, leaning bak where she sat.</p><p>"Kid, who are you really?"</p><p>Dozens of kilometres away, within Shiganshina district, Eren sneezed.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sacrifices For Humanity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A week later, the expedition ended, and the remaining members of the Survey Corps arrived back to Shiganshina, heavily injured and carrying many corpses in a small carriage in the back. The interior of the carriage was covered in a white cloth, yet Eren could clearly spot the corpses located in it, the shaking of the carriage as it moved forward moving the cloth and allowing him to see the outlines of the deceased bodies. </p><p>He remembered the last expedition he had seen before Wall Maria had fallen, a time he had been childish and ignorant and had refused to see the truth behind these expeditions, and why they saddened people so much. The fact that their children died hadn't caused him melancholy at all, after all, they had given up their lives for humanity's future. It was a great honour, so what was there to be sad about? Why were all these people around him crying as if their hopes were shattered?</p><p>Now, though, after losing every single one of the comrades he'd had for many years, he knew exactly what they felt: it couldn't actually be called sadness, more like an empty void. The thought that you would never be able to see a person precious to you made one's breath tighten, fists squeeze to the point of bleeding and eyes darken with pain, the agony of losing someone you loved torturous for every single second of your life. It never truly disappeared, the pain of this rip in his heart, irreparable, yet also so easy create. But whatever they did, the dead would not come back.</p><p>Eren had been lucky. Lucky enough to hold the Attack Titan, lucky enough to have its abilities, lucky enough to time travel. If not, he would be the most miserable person in the world, all alone, having nothing to live for. Comrades' blood staining his hands, bodies beneath his feet, not a single sound left in this silent world but the painful beating of his heart.</p><p>His eyes shone with determination, hands fisting unconsciously, and he gave all the lives lost this time and previously a deep bow, pouring his heart into the posture. He did not cry, he did not need to, to show his sad yet proud feelings, and he could only hope they achieved peace in their demise.</p><p>"Eren?" asked Armin uneasily from his side, watching his friend give a deep bow towards the Survey Corps in confusion. His friend heard his voice and tilted his head to the side, allowing his glowing green orbs filled with solemn respect to meet the blond boy's, and smiled softly.</p><p>"I am paying my respects to all of those who sacrificed their lives for this mission," he explained.</p><p>Armin's eyes widened in surprise, and he hastily copied him, his eyes filled with sadness. His heart beat faster at the thought of all the dead bodies hid beneath those thin white sheets, their families mourning, tears rolling from their eyes as their hearts broke, never to fully heal again. He knew what death was, he had, ever since he himself had lost his parents to unforeseen circumstances, so he knew what losing people felt like, even if he didn't understand what losing someone precious to you after loving them for years. His memories of his parents were already blurred, his young mind wiping them already, and he could do nothing and wait as the warm images of them disappeared, never to be recovered. His heart clenched, but he gritted his teeth and ignored the acute feeling of grief that enveloped him at the thought of his parents.</p><p>"May they find peace in their ultimate rest," whispered Armin, shedding a few tears for the soldiers who put their duty before their lives, feeling admiration for every single one of them. He unknowingly mourned for his own loss too, the loss of the people who birthed him, who he had forgotten so quickly, making him feel like he had betrayed the people he loved the most.</p><p>Seeing his tears, Eren patted him in the back, straightening his posture.</p><p>"Do not feel sorry for them. They completed their duty as soldiers, and they deserve respect, not tears. They did not sacrifice their lives to cause grief, but to contribute towards their loved ones' futures. So salute them, yet do not pity them."</p><p>Armin nodded, his fisted right hand slamming to his left chest, where his heart lay beneath, and he whispered out his final words of admiration towards those fallen courageous souls.</p><p>"Thank you for your hard work."</p><p>Their solemn conversation was heard by a couple standing in front of them, and the two copied their action with glassy eyes that refused to let out tears. Their movement didn't go unnoticed by the people nearby, and understanding their feelings, they mirrored the salute. One by one, every single person in the crowd saluted the Survey Corps, showing their feelings of pride and hope towards them. The Survey Corps may hold the highest amount of casualties, but they were also the ones who worked hardest towards humanity's future. Their efforts were in vain, yet they continued their endeavours, earning the respect of these civilians who felt like cowards facing these noble men and women.</p><p>Commander Keith Shadis, currently five years away from retirement, felt not happiness but shame in front of this display of reverence. After all, he had been the Commander of the Survey Corps for many years, yet he had not been able to bring advancement to it. He knew Grisha Jaeger, a man who came from outside the Walls and a dear friend to himself, held him in high regard, and he had always been arrogant due to the feeling of being acknowledged by someone so obscure and brilliant. Now, though, after his failure once again, he believed that he did not deserve the respect he was receiving.</p><p>Right at that moment, he swore that as soon as he found someone worthy of the position of Commander, he would retire from his role. He was not suitable for this position, he was not a natural-born leader, nor did he have the right temperament to deserve an esteemed status like the one he currently had.</p><p>Five years later, after the Fall of Wall Maria, he would descend into mental instability and yield his position to Erwin Smith, just like he had in Eren's past life. He would then become a drill instructor for the military, choosing to utilise his traits to raise exceptional soldiers, not having enough courage to see his comrades die again.</p><p>Meanwhile, within soldiers, the people who had witnessed the 'miracle medicine' were inspecting the crowd, trying to find the described boy. Their efforts were in vain, though, as within this thick mass of people, it was simply impossible for them to locate the boy.</p><p>After half an hour of searching, they had to start moving again, so Hanji let out a disappointed sigh. Right before she averted her eyes from the crowd, her eyes caught the mysterious eyes of the young boy from before, but as soon as she blinked, he was gone, leaving her to wonder if it was an illusion or not.</p><p>{}</p><p>After they left the crowd, Eren and Armin walked back to their secret hiding place, their pace slower than their accustomed speed. Eren had noticed his blond friend's emotional condition, so he hadn't spoken, instead matching his pace to his and letting him take his time. Only after they arrived at their destination did Armin emerge back to reality, blinking in confusion.</p><p>"Eh? We're here already?"</p><p>Eren smiled at his startled facial expression and sat down on the grass-covered earth, patting the place next to him.</p><p>"Would you like to tell me what's on your mind?"</p><p>Armin felt startled that he had been seen through, but heaved a sigh and sat down as requested. His eyes held a clouded look as he leaned his head backwards, eyes roaming the sky, then stopping on a small cluster of clouds, standing out within the otherwise clear sky. He seemed to be preparing himself to talk, most likely considering how to phrase his thoughts, so Eren waited patiently, unwilling to disturb his concentration.</p><p>It took several minutes for Armin to finally take a deep breath and voice out his inner turmoil. He had shortened it into a single sentence, yet Eren instantly felt the sheer amount of combusting emotion in it.</p><p>"Why... did those people have to die?" </p><p>His voice broke at the last word, and Eren knew that even if he wasn't crying visibly, his heart was drowning in tears. He was doing a respectable job holding it in, but his eyes had already started moisturising. He was only five after all, however mature and intelligent he appeared to be.</p><p>Eren reached out to him, and grabbing his shoulders, pressed the small body to his chest, wrapping his arms around the skinny torso of his best friend. He had already noticed the blond's intense sadness as soon as the boy had seen the declined numbers of the soldiers. Yet, after the salutes of respect, his emotions had gotten even more erratic. That was why they had been so quick to leave: Eren had wanted to confront Armin before these intense feelings of his led him into a bottomless depression.</p><p>Armin let out a strangled sound, then burst into loud sobs as soon as the warm body of Eren enveloped him. He grasped the other boy's t-shirt tightly, clutching it like it was his lifeline, then burying his face to his friend's neck. The tightening embrace around him together with the safety he felt induced him to open himself to the person who understood him the most.</p><p>After his intense feelings were released, leaving him exhausted, Eren decided to answer the boy. His answer was cruel, yet realistic, and while he didn't want the other boy to lose his innocence, he had to make the other comprehend what hardships lay ahead for him to fulfil his dream.</p><p>"They didn't," Eren answered honestly, and Armin stiffened in his embrace, breaths quickening. The brunette clutched him even more tightly, yet careful not to harm him, and continued talking. "Their deaths were meaningless. They were courageous, yes, but their sacrifice didn't lead to any discoveries, any achievements, not a single thing to help humanity." He grabbed Armin's shoulders and pushed him away, still close enough for them to inhale the other's breaths, yet far enough to meet the other's horrified eyes, his own pair filled with a grim maturity. "While they may not have produced anything, their deaths did serve one purpose: to reveal to others what it means to give up everything they possess for humanity." He leaned forward, his forehead touching Armin's, eyes still looking deep into the other's. Armin felt a shudder run down his spine from the intensity of the stare because Eren looked so... different. His eyes didn't shine happily like it commonly did, and his lips that always curled upwards naturally were pressed in a firm line, completely aloof. He realised alarmingly that this wasn't the Eren he knew. The Eren he knew didn't know these cruel truths, always dreaming for the future. Or maybe had he been this way from the start, but he had been too blind to realise it?</p><p>"Armin."</p><p>The utterance of his name made him snap back to reality from his erratic contemplation, and he flinched slightly at the way his name had rolled down the tongue of his best friend in a way he had never heard before. The usual Eren only ever called out to him carelessly, yet this Eren called him like he had known him for years, despite the fact that they had barely met half a year ago.</p><p>"<em>Armin.</em>" </p><p>Eren knew that Armin had seen through his hidden feelings because he looked downright sceptical at the moment, but he couldn't bring himself to care. <em> Good. These suspicions would be a learning experience for the blond, to try to crack his mask and see through the true him, the him that he buried for the sake of his loved ones </em>. </p><p>"Do you understand now why we have to join the Survey Corps no matter what?"</p><p>At the blond's blank look, he sighed and straightened his back, leaning backwards.</p><p>"We have to stop these unnecessary sacrifices. With our combined intellect, I am certain that we can make a change. A<em> significant </em>change. Just because knowledge hasn't been discovered until now doesn't mean it won't be discovered in the future. The reason no progress has been made up until now is because humanity is afraid. Afraid that they will uncover something they do not like, afraid that the things they don't know are evidence against their current beliefs. But us?" He continued with a resolute expression, a proud smile growing on his face. "We are brave enough to face our weaknesses. We are curious enough to go to great lengths for the knowledge we seek. We have dreams we have to fulfil, even if we die trying to do so." </p><p>He stood up, raising his arm and pointing at the Wall that caged their limited world.</p><p>"After all, we have to see the ocean, right?"</p><p>Armin gawked at the figure in front of him, spouting all these words that would make others ridicule him for confusing dreams and reality, and yet, he could feel himself believe him. He didn't understand half of the words the brunette was saying, yet in his heart, he enigmatically knew what he meant. Right now, Eren was shining. The sun, behind him at the sky illuminated <em>him</em> and <em>him </em><em>only </em>as if Eren was the hope shining upon Armin, sent by some superior entity just for his benefit. His eyes took on a soft radiance, and he smiled the most genuine smile he ever had, standing up as well. His determination was renewed, and his body which was exhausted a few minutes prior was filled with newfound energy.</p><p>"Yeah," he agreed, taking a step forward and standing next to his best friend, his eyes glued on the towering Wall Maria. "No matter what."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. An Unnecessary Conflict</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a week after the return of the Survey Corps that Eren and Armin bumped into Jim and his followers again. It was a total accident, where both parties were at the market, shopping, and coincidentally visited the same shop at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jim raised his hand, pointing at the two in front of him, his face a mixture of horror and fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jaeger, Arlert! What are you doing here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren merely blinked to show his surprise, deciding that a dramatic response wasn't worth spending the energy. Armin showed shock in his face, but calmed fast, acting as if they hadn't been the bullies who had beat him up for years, but strangers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing his friend's choice of reaction, Eren smiled in amusement and chose to respond to the other group. His eyes slit like crescent moons, and his smile became one with a fox's. All in all, he did not look like a five-year-old at all. Instead, he was more like an experienced businessman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What a surprise to meet you here," he told them, sending shivers down their spines with his carefree tone. "Were you sent shopping by your parents as well?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In Shiganshina, a poor district, children started helping their families at a young age. When they reached a certain amount of strength, they would be introduced to simple chores, like shopping or preparing dinner. This way, the family was able to balance out their amount of work and didn't overtire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the lackeys crossed his arms, huffing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So what if we are? What's it to you?" he asked snobbishly, seeming offended and embarrassed. Eren didn't understand why. Everyone their age did small chores like this, what was there to be so defensive about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of voicing his thoughts, his smile widened a tad bit, and he opened his arms in a gesture of peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did not mean to offend you," he reassured the boy. "After all, I am doing the same thing myself. I wouldn't insult myself, would I?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words seemed to have made sense for the boy, and he calmed down, though his scowl did not ease in the least. He clicked his tongue and looked away, acting like seeing them was sullying his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to get into needless conflict, Eren and Armin walked away, but were stopped by several teenagers blocking their way. Eren shifted in front of Armin slightly in protection, and as one of the teenagers took a step forward, a malicious glint in his eyes, he knew this was the right decision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you're the brat who hurt my younger brother?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This sentence brought Eren dismissed memories, and he was enlightened about the cause of these actions. He scarcely remembered Jim having an elder brother from his previous life, despite not meeting the mentioned person once. The only reason he had ever heard of him was, in fact, because the teen in front of him had gotten in conflict with the police, then imprisoned. It was revealed later that the then man was involved in smuggling drugs, and he had never exited prison until the day Shiganshina had fallen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Due to his age, even if he had survived, he would have been sent to 'take back Shiganshina', a suicide mission to decrease population due to lack of resources, that had cost Armin his sole family, his grandfather, so there was no way he had survived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was all he knew about the teenager in front of him, which only told him that he was most probably a hooligan at this point in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Elder brother!" cried out Jim, sounding both surprised and relieved. It seemed he had felt threatened by the two best friends' presence, which was not unusual, seeing as one of them was a budding tactical genius, and the other, a mass murderer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren's fallen smile appeared back on his face, and he straightened his back, portraying calmness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do not know who you are talking about," he lied easily, the words exiting his mouth smoothly. "You must surely have the wrong person. I have never hurt anyone before, and as a five-year-old, I do not have the strength to hurt someone, as you seem to have been informed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young man seemed surprised by the fluency of his language and chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What a smart kid you are," he commented. Then, his amused posture was overtaken by a smile full of bad intentions. "Unfortunately, I don't believe you. You're the Jaeger kid, aren't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jim nodded enthusiastically from the side, a delighted expression on his face. He seemed all too relieved that his ratting out was helping him get revenge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren tilted his head to the side, a false expression of worry on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my, it seems that you are aware of my name?" he said poshly, a smile in his tone, only serving to infuriate the person in front of him. "But are you sure you weren't given the wrong name? I insist on having nothing to do with whatever has happened to your younger brother. I do hope he gets better soon, though."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his final words, he sent a glance at the completely recovered Jim, making the boy flinch at the weight of Eren's eyes on him. He could clearly feel the burdensome accusing stare directed towards him, and it was making him quite nervous by its continuance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At his mocking words, the young man clenched his teeth, and took out a knife, making onlookers gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He has a knife!" cried out one of the richer looking ladies, and she promptly fell to her knees in fear. Her escort quickly leaned down to support her, and hastily lead her away, shaking herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shout pulled many onlookers their way. Soon, the entrance of the small shop was crowded by intrigued people. Many gasped in shock at the teenager holding a knife towards two small children, but, as expected, nobody tried to help. People were selfish creatures, and even if a loathsome situation like this happened, they wouldn't help at the cost of getting harmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren stayed calm despite the sharp object being held his way, his smile unwavering and posture as loose as it was a minute ago, looking confident and unafraid. The same could not be said for Armin behind him, though, as he had grasped Eren's clothes, shivering in fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"E-eren!" he whispered, his voice shaky and full of anxiousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The named boy did not react, instead, taking another step to the side, fully covering his friend's small stature with the action. At his fearless movement, the teenager raised an eyebrow, looking impressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you are not afraid of a knife..." he muttered, faint respect in his voice. His moment of awe was broken by a shake of his head, followed by regaining his arrogant expression, resting one of his hands on his hip confidently. "But so what? You are merely a small kid, it's not like you can hurt me even without the advantage of a knife."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed his last sentence had inspired him, as he suddenly smiled joyfully but cunningly, fingers stroking his chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How about this? I came here to take revenge for my brother, but if you manage to beat me in a fight, I'll let you go." He then reached out his knifed arm. "Of course, since you're weaker than me, I'll give myself a handicap. Take the knife."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren seemed contemplative, and seeing that he was actually considering this despicable deal, Armin spoke up, looking infuriated by the unfairness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren! You can't do this! You're just five, you don't have the strength to beat someone a decade older!" he exclaimed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dissent only served in the amusement in the man-turned-child, as he gave his friend a pat on the shoulder with a small laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry about me, but yourself! Even if I win, these people surely won't let us go." Seeing the sinking realisation, his smile widened. "I will do my best to win, but in the meanwhile, I ask of you to create an escape plan. Whether I lose or not, we need to either beat them all, or run away to exit this shop."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin gave him a resolute nod, looking a bit uncertain, but filled with determination, and that was enough for Eren. He trusted his friend to come up with a good plan. In the future, he hadn't been the tactician of the forces who tried to stop him for nothing!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Armin was calm once again, Eren turned around, walking up to the opposing teenager with his confident demeanour. His footsteps were light but elegant, creating the aura of a skilled fighter, startling his opponent. The young man did not falter, though, confident enough in his power to defeat a mere child when he had been fighting in the street for many years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunette took the offered knife swiftly, nodding at his opponent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I accept your offer. When do we start?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the teenager threw himself to him with a malicious smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There is no 'start' in the real world, brat!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fist was neither strong nor fast compared to Eren's experience, but as he was currently in the body of a small child, he barely managed to avoid the incoming punch, taking a stumbling step to the side at the last second. The teenagers looked surprised but did not think much about it, amounting his dodge to luck. After all, he was a mere five-year-old, how could he see his fist coming?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Beginner's luck, eh?" he exclaimed laughingly, sending a punch to his opponent once again. Eren dodged once again, but once again, with great strain. He gritted his teeth when the fist scraped his shoulder, making pain erupt with the impact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His pain was noticeable, and his opponent laughed once more, looking just like a cat toying with a mouse, amused and overpowering. Once more, the attacks started, smartly concentrated on the injured area, making it much harder to dodge and hurt even more if struck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren continued jumping and twisting with all his might, choosing to ignore the pain coming from multiple parts on his body. His eyes were trained on his opponent's body, looking for weaknesses. He did not want to fatally injury his opponent's body, so his options were limited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either he stabbed his opponent and risked a fatal blow, or he attacked with his body. Unfortunately, due to his weakness, most likely miss and be injured worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he was about to choose the first option out of desperation, knowledge from a medical manual appeared in his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Trigger points</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Triggers points were tender areas that caused pain when pressed on. They were caused by muscle trauma, injuries, and repetitive strain. Just by looking at the teenager in front of him, Eren could clearly see that he had been injured many times in the past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Eren looked closely enough, he could find where these points were located on his opponent's body, by analysing his posture and movement. It would take some time, though, as the boy had never tried doing this before, and it was an effort that required noticing the slightest of details.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Good things Eren was patient, as even when he was nearly knocked to the ground, bruised from head to toe, and insulted by his opponent, he kept his calm, keeping on searching. Finally, just as he lost the ability to keep on his feet anymore, he found one, right on the chest. Using up all of his energy, he took a precise step forward, and before his opponent could react, with the hilt of the knife in his hand, hit the trigger point as hard as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teenager let out a sharp cry of pain, stumbling backwards, and Eren used this opportunity to kick his knee harshly as well, knocking him to the ground. Quickly positioning himself behind the fallen opponent, he raised the knife to his neck, resting it on the rough skin right above the jugular.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The place became completely quiet, the onlookers watching the fight from outside gaping in shock and awe. A small child had just knocked an experienced hooligan to the ground, after enduring remarkable amounts of pain that even people decades older than him couldn't! It was simply unbelievable!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unaware of the crowd's reactions, Eren held the knife tightly as he panted, his other arm holding his opponent to himself in case he tried to struggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I've won," he simply said, leaning to his opponent's ear tiredly. "Shouldn't you uphold your end of the deal?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The frozen teenager came to, his eyes wide as saucers, his breath quick and erratic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-you!" he cried out, careful not to be knocked by the sharp object a second away from ending his life. But even if he was threatened this way, he didn't believe a child would dare to kill him. So, instead of complying with his end of the deal. he shouted to the men standing at the door, who he had brought for intimidation. "I don't believe you can kill me!" He pointed his hand at Armin, who froze at the attention brought on him by the gesture. "Seize him!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as one of the men took a step forward, footsteps echoed from outside. Along with them came cries of the word 'police'. All hooligans stiffened, and panic seeped into their eyes, detected immediately by Eren, causing the corner of his lips to raise upwards in amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the police marched in, holding their pistols ready, they were greeted by an incredibly miraculous sight: a young child holding a teenager at knifepoint. Nobody had ever seen this happening before. At least, not in places other than the backstreets. So, they were naturally left gaping dumbstruck at the scene in front of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The highest-ranking officer within them, consequently the most experienced, managed to snap himself out of his shock first, coughing for attention. He felt awkward in this unusual situation, and, to be frank, he did not know the best way to approach it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, the child smiled and lowered the knife, taking a step backwards. He then sheepishly innocently as if embarrassed by the strange scene he had created, rubbing his nose shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I ask for your forgiveness for this needless disturbance," he said with a deep bow, stupefying the police officers, yet also causing them to flush at the respectful actions coming from a child. The highest-ranking officer nodded in response, taking out his notebook.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please recount the events that lead to this... conflict from the beginning."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so Eren did. At the end of his tale told with the innocent bashfulness belonging to a child, the brunette informed the officers repeatedly how lucky he had been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it weren't for a slip-up, I'm afraid I might not have left this place without the need to be under heavy treatment!" he said pitifully, looking fearful at such an outcome, and successfully softening the policemen's hearts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, he turned towards his blond friend and smiled warmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You were the one who informed the police, weren't you?" he guessed, going over to hug him. "How did you manage to do it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin blushed in embarrassment at the attention focused on himself and scratched his cheek shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Um, I noticed a backdoor behind the cash register, and when all attention was on your fight, I told the shop owner to call for the police if she doesn't want her shop wrecked by these hooligans," he explained, making Eren laugh proudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See, I was right to trust you!" he stated, pulling his friend into a loose headlock with a grin. "Even if I had lost, you would have still ensured my safety. You're brilliant, Armin!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The praise left Armin flushed like a tomato, exciting small chuckles from the on watching police officers. These children were so young, yet they were already so trustful towards each other. From how at ease they were with each other unconsciously, it was easy to understand that they were quite close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren turned to the officers and once again thanked them for their help, Armin copying his actions. Being thanked by these bright young children who had solved a significant problem by themselves made the officers feel sheepish and undeserving of the praise, but as the two children had said, only the police's arrival had truly made them safe, so they deserved the thanks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thus, the police took away the hooligans to lock them up. After threatening children with a knife in a public place, there was not much to be done for pardon, and seeing as their families were almost certainly poor, they would not be able to bail out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the commotion was over, Eren went over to the shop owner and expressed his apologies profusely for the damage they had caused. While nothing had taken damage physically, they had taken much of the working hours, leading to fewer customers being able to visit the shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shop owner was not a narrow-minded person. She knew that these children were not at fault, so she smiled kindly and gave them a discount for the trouble they had gone through. Both children refused at first, however, due to her stubborn pestering, they had no choice left but to accept, albeit reluctantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they exited, with many eyes on them, they walked away, chatting while doing so. Armin seemed a bit unnerved by the stares, but as Eren had been stared at fearfully while he committed genocide in his past, these were nothing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Huh, he was comparing both lives quite often, wasn't he? How interesting, but not unexpected at all, seeing as using his knowledge from his previous life would he endeavour to change his second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before heading to their homes, the two boys headed to their lake and put their belongings to the side. They lay on the grass to relax, the soft summer breeze tickling their faces comfortably. Armin was only now calming down, his body still shaking slightly from adrenaline.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing his friend hurt so severely had been a scary experience. As hit after hit had met their target, Armin had felt his fear increasing every second. It was truly miraculous how Eren had managed to withstand the pain from dozens of hits of a strong near-adult, and this encounter had only raised the blond boy's respect towards his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning his head to the side, he opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes widened at the bruises littering his friend's face, making him bolt upwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, your face!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brunette only chuckled, proceeding to take off his t-shirt to show the blond the newly-appearing bruises there as well, horrifying the blond to the core. It was much worse than he had thought! From the light-tinted bruises, he could see that there were no fractured bones, but the boy was still badly hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All because he had refused to comply with Jim. All because Eren had saved his pathetic ass from him. It was his fault from the beginning, so why was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eren</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one who got hurt?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing Armin's unhappy expression, Eren sighed, but rummaged through his pockets and took out a bottle of bruise salve, handing it over to his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Could you help me put it on?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin nodded, taking the bottle of ointment silently, then proceeding to spread some on his friend's back. The two worked in silence, leaving Eren a bit suspicious by his friend's sudden unwillingness to talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his head around, and his eyes met the view of his blond friend crying silently, making him freeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right, Armin had always been too hard on himself. Seeing him like this, it was clear that he felt Eren's getting hurt was his fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking, Eren turned around and put his chin on his friend's shoulder, startling him by the sudden action. Armin blushed in embarrassment, stuttering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"E-eren? Why are you-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It wasn't your fault." cut in the brunette, agitating his friend with his answer. Armin reeled back, looking entirely disagreeing, but Eren grabbed the boy, stopping him from getting further away, and raised a hand, silencing his opposal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It. Wasn't. Your. Fault." he repeated slowly but surely, looking at his friend in the eyes resolutely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin knew by the stubborn glint in the sea-green orbs that whatever he said, his friend would stand by his opinion, refusing to listen to him. Sighing irritatedly, he looked away, a pout on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, Eren </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be able to read his mind, right? He kept on correctly guessing his thoughts these days even going as far as bringing Armin things he wanted but did not reveal his feelings sometimes. It was getting quite creepy at this point, yet Armin also felt warm at the thought of someone understanding him </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> thoroughly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, the two sat in silence, one tending the other's wounds, but the warm feeling covering them kept them from feeling awkward. It was times like these that Armin genuinely considered the two of them family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unbeknownst to Armin, to Eren he already was family, but he would not discover this fact until years passed. Maybe the cause of this was because they hadn't known each for long right now, or maybe Eren was too shy to tell Armin his thoughts, who knows, but it still didn't change the fact that even without revealing this thought, Armin already thought of him as a brother as well.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Father, I Want A Corpse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Father, I want a corpse," were the words Eren said to his father on his sixth birthday. They were outside of their house, near the fields, with nobody within hearing distance to these words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha blinked, raising his head from the herbs he was planning on collecting, a contemplative frown on his face. He did not look horrified nor disturbed by his request, just surprised. To be fair, Eren had begun learning how to dissect rabbit corpses a month earlier, so he hadn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> been waiting for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Whatever for?" he asked instead, his inquiry unnecessary as both father and son knew the purpose of the request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren rose from where he was crouching, patting his dirty gloved hands. The knee area of his trousers had turned brown. Also, his face had patches of dirt on it, probably from touching his face while working.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I've memorised the human anatomy already, but I would like to see an example to understand it better."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha nodded at the perfectly reasonable answer, turning back to the herbs in front of him and squatting down, starting to pluck them carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright," he agreed, his answer making Eren smile immediately. "I will find a corpse you can experiment on, but only while I'm in the room as well. Wouldn't want to explain to your mother how you cut a finger off, eh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The six-year-old pouted at the joke but mirrored his father's actions, taking a magnifying glass from the pouch on his waist and inspecting the flower of a herb in front of him with great interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few days later, Grisha called Eren to the basement and bolted the door behind him. He then revealed the corpse of a middle-aged man on a surgical table, making Eren beam in excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, father! If you don't mind me asking, where did you obtain it?" he cried out, hugging his father around his waist, then staring at him from below curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha chuckled at the puppy-dog eyes he was making and ruffled his hair, slightly pensive. It seemed that Eren was like him: unafraid of things that would make grown men cry, drawn into stuff that would make others throw up just at the notion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing his son, he wouldn't reveal his means of acquiring this dead body, so he saw nothing wrong about informing his son, for he could require it in the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When homeless people die, their body is deposited into a trash yard a few kilometres from here. I went there and selected a freshly deceased one for you. If you need one in the future, there is a wheelbarrow in the storage of my cabin in the woods, so find it and use it to transport the body." he advised as if corpse smuggling was a daily thing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at the jars filled with body parts in the room, it was apparent that it was. Even so, Eren did not think what they were doing was wrong, as his ethical outlook was quite twisted from the way he had lived. The body was already deceased and discarded, why would it be wrong to use it? It wasn't like the owner of the corpse had had a family when he was alive either, or else why would it be in a trash yard?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded in understanding at his father, his face lighting up with delight and enthusiasm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand, father, thank you for telling me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha merely smiled in reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shall we begin the lesson?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>{}</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, a few months later, Eren was already used to smuggling corpses and performing autopsy, Grisha even going as far as to teach him how to transplant organs. It would, of course, be a much more difficult thing to do if the two bodies were alive, but Eren quickly understood the theory and performed a lung transplant on two living birds under the watchful eye of his father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was no spectacle to either of them that Eren was incredibly talented in surgery just as much as he was in medicine. Even so, Grisha felt proud to have a son following his teachings and even be several times quicker than him in learning. The boy's aptitude to medicinal studies made it especially easy to teach him. Grisha only needed to give him a single piece of information, and he perceived several more just from that one piece.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Currently, Eren was practising his suturing technique, which he now was permitted to do even without supervision. A dead body with its organs laid out on a surgical table lay beside him. He hummed a joyful tune, his fingers working at a fast but steady pace, but the serene atmosphere vanished with Grisha entering the room, impatience visible on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eren, I need you to come with me right now. It's urgent," he said swiftly, rushing to grab a few bottles with sealed caps. Eren recognised those bottles as a powerful acid, alongside several 'cleaning' products, connecting the dots at once and nodding gravely. Someone had died, and Grisha needed to cover it up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grabbing a case full of medical supplies, he followed his father out of the room, taking off his lab coat and mask he always put on for professionalism, then tucking them inside the case and running up the stairs. His father handed him his overcoat, he shuffled into his shoes, and they took off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was presently winter season, snowing heavily, and Carla wasn't home, visiting a friend of hers. Eren felt the cold creeping onto him but ignored it, knowing moving would warm him up soon, also being used to the bone-chilling cold of Shiganshina District.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around five minutes later, they arrived at a backstreet with three people in it -Eren vaguely noted them as a child and two adults- then opened their cases, taking out their supplies and approaching the blood-coated body leaning against the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the bloody head area, Eren realised immediately that the person had died by a blow to the crown of the head. His expression was one of madness, so the boy theorised that a violent interaction had happened. Turning around, knowing his father could handle dissolving the corpse, he gave the three people a look over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The child was alright, the male only looked pale, most likely from horror, but the female had strangulation marks shaped like hands around her neck. From his observations, Eren concluded that the dead man had tried to kill the woman, and the other man had killed him impulsively by a heavy object to the head. As if to prove his theory, a bloodied brick lay a few meters away from the body, and Eren walked over and picked it up, placing it next to his father without a word, knowing he would comprehend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Afterwards, he handed the male a towel and disinfectant to clean the blood on his skin, then moved to the woman, asking for a view of her neck. The still shaking woman agreed tearfully, and Eren lowered the woman's coat, inspecting the strangulation marks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, there were no signs of internal trauma, and he told the woman to place ice on it for a short time every day to make sure the marks faded. He also handed over some bruise slave, one he had also improved only a week ago after several months of experiments, and told her to apply it twice every day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally turning to the young girl- younger than him, presumably around four years old- he took out a small blanket he kept for emergencies, especially in the current cold season, and wrapped it around her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing her surprised eyes look into his pair, he smiled as warmly as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Those words sent the girl to tears, and she practically threw herself on him, sobbing heavily. Eren rubbed circles on her back soothingly, whispering encouraging words into her ear. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he glanced above, making eye contact with the teasing eyes of his father, making him send a joking pout in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, Eren had a calming effect on children around his age or younger, and it was so strong that any child who lay their eyes on the brunette would suddenly stop crying and shouting, instead, staring curiously at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was probably because of his mature aura and small body, making them feel trusting towards him. His smile was also exceptionally warm, so that was a plus indeed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing his father, he had finished the job, so the five moved to a safer place, Eren carrying the young girl- Catherine Rael was her name- in a piggyback position at her insistence. They arrived at the family's house soon after, going inside nimbly and sneakily. Once inside, Mrs Rael prepared some warm drinks, after which, they sat down in the living room, tranquilly silent. Catherine chose to sit next to Eren, snuggling to his side with a shy smile. Eren did not refuse her action, letting her calm herself from all the action happening earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lack of sound was disturbed by the young girl's loud yawn, causing the other four to smile in amusement, and Mr Rael sighed, putting down his steaming half-empty goblet of goat milk right afterwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I cannot thank you enough for your help," he said genuinely, a frustrated frown on his face. "We were exceedingly fortunate to bump into you, lest we would have already been dead meat."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha smiled pleasantly, waving his hand with an air of nonchalance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was nothing, really. The police do not care, so us poor people must rely on each other."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With this, the couple relaxed. It seemed the two had been afraid of being blackmailed by this occurrence, but Grisha's words had reassured them of his kindness and trustworthiness. While they talked, Catherine had fallen asleep, head on Eren's lap, making him reflexively start running his fingers through her curly hair. The scene was heartwarming, and the three parents could not help but smile at the two brave young children beside them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren leaned forward in interest at the exchange, a milk moustache above his reddened lips from gobbling down the hot beverage hastily. Now that the young girl was asleep, he could gain some information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you don't mind, may I ask what happened?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking startled by his sudden question, the couple sent an inquiring look at Grisha, and at his permitting nod, sighed, starting to explain. The boy had already seen a bloodied corpse but hadn't even flinched, so they perceived they could explain in detail. There was also a peculiar shine in his eyes, making him seem much more mature than he should be. Overall, there should be no problem for him to learn what had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We had had a family dinner at a local diner, but on our way home, a drunk man suddenly tried to m-molest me. I tried to walk away, and my husband confronted him. After hearing I was married, he lunged on me like a wild animal and almost choked me to death." She shuddered here, closing her eyes breathlessly as she recalled the scene. With a deep exhale, she resumed her story. "My husband must have hit him on the head to save me, because next thing I knew, I was trying to get some breath in with a dead body besides my feet." she recounted, a fearful glint in her eyes. "Thankfully, Dr Jaeger was passing by, and he decided to help us. If not, Maria knows where we would be right now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded pensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I see," he muttered, then raised his head, a solemn look in his eyes. "I'm afraid if my father hadn't helped you, you would surely be apprehended by the police in the next few days. Especially since the deceased man was a member of the military."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All eyes were on him as soon as he said that, startlement present in them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" asked Mrs Rael in horror, one hand moving to cover her mouth. Mr Rael looked just as disconcerted, eyes wide and breaths quick. Grisha hummed carefully, eyes trained on his son with intrigue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Explain," he urged, Eren agreeing to do so with a nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"First of all, although Mr Rael has not had formal training, he is a strong man from the manual labour he does. While not fearing him in an inebriated state is understandable, for the man to outpace him and reach Mrs Rael while in such a state leads me to the conclusion that he has most plausibly had formal training. Also, from what I have noticed, the man had a muscular build but no apparent scars, meaning he has not been fighting in the streets." These observations got nods from the listeners, so he continued. "Secondly, while he had a haggard appearance, his sleeves were perfectly aligned, his face cleanly shaved, and his boots recently polished, leading me to believe he has a disciplined lifestyle. Lastly, while he was out of uniform, he was still wearing standard military boots."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Rael couple stared dumbfounded at the young boy who couldn't be older than seven listed observations he had made with a single glance. They knew that the child had tended them and not helped the ridding of the corpse, so his only chance in viewing the body would have been when he had first arrived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A glance lasting a mere second and being so accurate, was this child even human? Also, even if they had examined the corpse for an entire hour, they probably wouldn't have been half as accurate as him. His talent in observation was simply out of this world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha was already used to Eren's incredible memory and profound insight at this point, so he nodded in approval, going over the elements Eren had revealed once more in his head. After these details, he also agreed that the deceased was a member of the military.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had only a single question left now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But how would they identify the perpetrator?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded in appreciation at the question. He had been waiting for it, with how much of a detailist his father was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Firstly, someone who could kill an active soldier isn't quite common. Even if they discovered that the soldier was drunk, leading to an easier takedown, their next discovery would be that two people were involved in the killing," he explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr Rael looked quite astonished by that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How? Wouldn't a single person be able to knock him out with a blow to the head?" he asked in distress, thinking of what could have happened if they hadn't received help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren sighed, leaning slightly backwards. His eyes clouded, recalling the details on the corpse, and he shrugged softly, careful not to wake up the girl on his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That is correct, yes, but because the man used a lot of strength when strangling Mrs Rael, in the cold, his fingers were frozen in the exact width of her neck as he died. Also, when someone is being strangled, they do not possess enough strength to hit someone on the crown of the head, which I must also add is out of their reach. The common reflex would be hitting the side of the head. Meaning, a person other than the one being strangled struck the man on the head."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The couple looked quite disgruntled by his detailed analysis but urged him to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren cleared his throat and proceeded to do so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyhow, secondly, not many people are out of their residence in this weather, and if they were, they most presumably were due to visiting a diner or a bar. There is a limited amount of either place in a poor district like Shiganshina, so visiting every single one and learning the names or appearance of the customers is a piece of cake."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha stroked his jaw thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But they wouldn't be able to learn about every single customer." he pointed out, causing Eren to smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And that is where two basic factors come in: rigor mortis -meaning stiffness of the body- and the cloudiness of the pupils. From these simple facts, the police can determine the rough hour of the murder. This way, they only need to ask the customers that left beforehand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha, as a doctor, was aware of this information, but the couple was startled by how easy one could find a person's time of death. It felt unbelievable!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But there is a possibility that the murderer wasn't in either of these places, what would they do about that?" asked Mrs Rael.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren grinned in amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you were, weren't you?" The couple flinched in realisation. "Yes, there is a possibility that the murderer was outside for another reason -though certainly not to murder the man as it is obviously a crime of passion- but a quick search around the premise will determine if anybody had heard voices around the perimeter. If there happened to be a commotion, the murder would be discovered earlier, and there is always a possibility that a lucky someone will chance upon someone on the road that night. With all of these factors, the police would have probably visited your house within the next few days, and with the bruises on Mrs Rael's neck, you would have easily been caught and arrested." He raised his arms, opening them in a shrugging motion, a relaxed expression on his face. "Of course, there is a possibility that the police wouldn't have enough patience to come to that point, but I assure you, a soldier dying is a much more significant case than a civilian for the police. The possibility of you not getting caught is below one per cent."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was silent for a few minutes, and afterwards, Grisha decided it was time to leave. Carla had most likely arrived home by now, and she was uninformed of their whereabouts. With a quick goodbye, the two left the house, starting their walk home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around midway, Grisha decided to speak up, a complicated expression on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do not understand what goes through your mind at all," he confessed. He sounded slightly troubled, so Eren turned his head to the side, gazing at the eyes that were so similar to his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The feeling is mutual, then," he replied, and while that was a lie, Grisha didn't need to know that his son already had tens of lifetimes worth of memories inside his head. It had nearly led him into an identity crisis, so it hadn't been a pleasant experience until he had sorted the memories deposited into his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing his son's blunt reply, Grisha let out a chuckle, his mood lightening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I should have expected this from my son, huh?" he told nobody in particular. Eren chose not to reply, and they continued their way home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they arrived, just as Grisha entered the house, he stopped, turning around. His face had an affectionate smile on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm proud of you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren blinked, thrown off by the sudden statement, but smiled an equally soft smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"As am I of you, father." He really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> proud of him, especially with the sacrifices he had made for Eldia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He clenched his fist in determination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, he would not let his predecessors' sacrifices be in vain. This time, he would give Paradis and Eldia their freedom. He would achieve this goal no matter what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he had to lose his life along the way.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Blood Of A Chicken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another year passed. Eren, now seven years old, had the skill level of an experienced surgeon in medicine. He had also managed to create many new medical mixes that had useful applications, one of which, being a digestible syrup that helped suppress motion-sickness. It had gotten lots of thanks from his father clients after they were introduced to it, so he was quite satisfied by it.</p><p>After learning all he could about the human body theoretically, Eren began to conduct experiments on living creatures, starting from rats he captured. He injected them with many medical mixes, tracked and wrote down the process and results, and overall had fun doing it. It was a shame that some hurt the lab-rats, but they were free to try to escape, not that they could manage to do so with how well he locked them up.</p><p>With the start of his experiments, Eren's perspective towards living beings changed. Whenever he saw a bird flapping its wings, his tongue salivated, his instincts begging him to study and replicate its bone structure to enable flight for humans. Whenever he saw fish, his mind searched for ways humans could breathe in the water, for example, surgically attaching artificial gills to a human's neck. He was turning into Hanji, but somehow, it wasn't a bad feeling.</p><p>With his change in thought process, the look in his eyes changed. The Eren who was only obsessed with the feeling of freedom and the outside of the walls had now completely disappeared, replaced with an Eren interested in absolutely <em>everything </em>around him<em>. </em>He spent hours contemplating the simplest of things and how to adjust them. Every day, he woke up as early as he could, grabbed his pouch, and didn't come back home until sunset. Sometimes he even went out on midnight excursions, under the careful watch of one of his parents, and observed everything about nightlife he could.</p><p>This interest in him was understandable. As a person who had eradicated many species in his past life and was left entirely alone, he was interested in living beings and how they lived. Just seeing a living being was already joyful for him, let alone this many? It was paradise<strong> (Author's note: see what I did there?)</strong> for Eren.</p><p>{}</p><p>In another ordinary day, Carla asked for Eren to buy some chicken from the market for dinner. With how poor Shiganshina citizens were, that meant buying living chicken and killing them by themselves. Afterwards, they did bloodletting, de-feathering and cleaning, finally cooking it in the end.</p><p>Armin and his grandfather would be visiting them for dinner that night, so Eren called the blond boy a well to get the chicken. Telling the blond where he was going, they rushed to finish the chore to be free of work and do what they always did as soon as possible.</p><p>For a low price after haggling expertly, something Eren had learned from his mother, the two grabbed the chicken in a rusty cage and ran back to the brunette's house. Once they arrived, they found Carla hanging the laundry and greeted her cheerfully.</p><p>"Mother, we're back!" shouted Eren, waving the cage he carried with one hand.</p><p>Armin was a bit shyer, so he reddened while giving a small smile to Eren's mother.</p><p>"Hi, Carla-san," he said quietly with a small wave, making Carla smile softly.</p><p>"Hello, Armin-kun. Eren-chan is dragging you around as always?"</p><p>Her words made Eren pout unhappily.</p><p>"Hey, I don't drag him around!" he protested childishly, much to the amusement of his mother. "He comes willingly! Right, Armin?"</p><p>Armin scratched at his nose embarrassedly.</p><p>"You <em>are</em> a bit pushy..."</p><p>Eren gasped dramatically, waving an accusing finger at Armin, acting speechless. He started relaying his betrayal loudly, placing a hand on his heart and another to his forehead and behaving considerably heartbroken, breaking Armin's shy demeanour and causing him to snicker and argue back, making Carla smile proudly.</p><p>Eren was quite good at bringing timid children out of their shells, and with Armin sticking to him for hours every day, it would be a miracle if this hadn't happened to the blond already. When with Eren, Armin always behaved sincere to his real personality, and this fact had also gladdened the blond's grandfather by a large margin.</p><p>Suddenly, Eren took a glance at the chicken in his hand, and by the mischievous glint in his eyes, Carla was sure she wasn't going to like whatever he was going to say next.</p><p>"Mother," he spoke up, his eyes rounding into a pleading and innocent expression. Carla sighed, feeling a headache coming already.</p><p>"Eren, I know you want something. What is it?"</p><p>The puppy-dog eyes grew more intense, and the brunette pushed his lower lip, curling it outwards into a pout. He looked like an anticipating but shy dog, and even if his mother tried to keep her heart from clenching at the cuteness, it still did, making her gulp nervously. Eren's ultimate weapon always worked. She shut her eyes, trying to erase the image, but the boy suddenly appeared right in front of her, his cute face moving closer to hers and his pout growing larger. Carla knew right then and there that she had lost this battle of willpower and sighed dejectedly.</p><p>The boy's eyes lit up, knowing he had won already, and he threw a fist in the air, cheering excitedly. Carla tried to turn stern, but it was already too late, and her eyes had a soft look even if she tried hard to harden them.</p><p>"First, you need to tell me what you want," she insisted. She had crossed her arms, and Eren knew he couldn't avoid this one.</p><p>He sighed but shrugged, preparing himself for the upcoming rejection he was sure would come.</p><p>"I want to prepare the chicken all by myself. And maybe Armin."</p><p>"<em>Absolutely not.</em>"</p><p><em>As expected, </em>Eren thought with a small frown, feeling a bit irritated. As an adult mentally, it made him feel uncomfortable to be restricted like this.</p><p>Carla had turned aloof a millisecond after that sentence was out, and she shook her head stubbornly to the side. She looked absolutely sure of her decision, and when she was this way, changing her mind was a near-impossible feat to achieve.</p><p>"You are too young. I will not allow that."</p><p>Eren's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest loudly.</p><p>"Why not? If I need to know how to in the future, what's wrong with learning it now?" he shouted in disappointment. Carla did not cease her negative stance, with her eyes glinting wilfully. She really was as stubborn as a mule, but she seemed to forget that Eren was her son.</p><p>The brunette stuck his chin upwards, looking every bit of obstinate as he could be. He crossed his arms as well, and opened his eyes wide, staring intensely into his mother's eyes.</p><p>The staring contest lasted long, the aura around them intense and weighing down on poor Armin's anxiously shivering body, and, it would have lasted longer if Grisha didn't suddenly appear outside.</p><p>Seeing the mother and son duo stare at each other intensely, he raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"What's wrong?" he asked, downright unaffected by the intense aura of stubbornness radiating from the two, and with his words, the two contesting eyes separated, shifting to him at the same time. Carla looked disgruntled, while Eren looked disappointed, and Grisha immediately understood that Carla hadn't approved of something Eren desired.</p><p>The dark-haired woman sighed, shaking her head slightly in fatigue, and answered her husband's question.</p><p>"Eren wants to prepare the chicken by himself."</p><p>She was obviously expecting Grisha to disagree as well, but the man just tilted his head to the side, looking perplexed.</p><p>"I don't see the problem."</p><p>And that was when Carla's temper finally showed itself. Both Jaeger males were scolded for an entire hour, while Armin watched from the side. He was awfully frightened by the demonic rage of the woman, so he endeavoured to make himself disappear where he stood with full effort. Thankfully, Carla had utterly disregarded him, and after she had taken out all her anger, she let out a huff and finally conceded.</p><p>"Fine! Do whatever you want. I won't be responsible for the consequences."</p><p>With that, she stomped away. With her exit, Grisha turned to the two boys sheepishly, smiling gently.</p><p>"I will talk to her, alright?" he told Eren. "Your mother is very protective of you, so she cannot see how much you have grown up. You are her sole child, and will always be the baby she gave birth to, so she doesn't want any harm to come to you."</p><p>Eren clicked his tongue, turning his head to the side. He knew that very well. If it weren't for his need to behave like a child and the slight mental age regression he'd had from time travelling, causing him to be more emotional and irrational, he would never appear this immature. He could, of course, keep his impulsive attitude under control, but two years of living like a child had loosened him in terms of suppressing emotions. It also aligned perfectly with how he should act with how young he was supposed to be, so he did not.</p><p>Those thoughts made his eyes glint coldly for a second, but in the blink of an eye, it had disappeared. While Armin had missed that, Grisha certainly hadn't, so he was left to wonder whether it had been a trick of the light or not.</p><p>Instead of pouting, Eren's facial expression morphed into a more mature one, and he scratched the back of his neck, looking somewhat bothered.</p><p>"I know that. It's just that I feel she's coddling me too much, it's a bit suffocating, to tell the truth," the boy responded in an exasperated tone, causing Grisha's smile to widen. No matter how much the strong personalities of the mother and son clashed, they still cared deeply for each other. The fact made him feel warm all over, thinking back to his life with Dina and Zeke before the unthinkable had happened.</p><p>He shook his head as soon as the two came to his mind, ridding himself forcefully of those thoughts. There was no good in reminding himself of his sorrowful past. He had a better life now, no matter how soon it would expire.</p><p>The thought that he would have to leave this world within three years made his heart clench painfully, but his mind did not waver. He had a duty, and even if he had to die completing it, he would never doubt his purpose. He was Eldia's last hope, and he would succeed in his mission no matter what.</p><p>His eyes lay on the figure of his son -he was so young yet so much hardship lay ahead of him- and he sighed sadly. He would have to ruin his son's innocence by his own hands, but he had to, for the sake of Eldia. Nothing was more important than Eldia, not even his family.</p><p>At least he knew his successor would do well. With his son's creative and cunning mind, he had no doubt that Eren would bring victory to Eldia. His only hope was that the boy chose to follow his teachings and did not defect like his other son. If that ever occurred, he knew that it was all over.</p><p>But Grisha still had faith in his son. He had raised him for his mission and sculpted him into the person he needed. He had erred with his first son, and that mistake, he had sworn to never repeat.</p><p>Tuning back to reality, he patted Eren's head affectionately and walked away with a complicated expression on his face. Eren had already gone much further than beheading and dissecting an animal, but Carla did not know that, and neither of the males had any intention of letting her know.</p><p>Grisha would have to persuade her that Eren had grown up already, and he was ready to grasp the harsh reality of the world they were living. It was correct anyway, so all he had to do was let her open her eyes to reality, and let her see that even at seven years old, their son was as mature as an adult.</p><p>{}</p><p>Eren observed his father leaving with a pensive look, lips pressed together firmly and eyebrows narrowed. He knew what was going on in his father's mind, and he had no intention to change it. Right now, he needed more freedom, and if their parents' discussion would let him have that at the cost of his childhood, he was alright with that. From now on, just like his father, his mother would see him as an adult as well.</p><p>He was not sure what to think about that.</p><p>Shaking away his head to get rid of those thoughts, he turned to Armin with a triumphant grin plastered upon his face and made a peace sign with his two fingers excitedly.</p><p>"We got permission! Let's go!"</p><p>He grabbed Armin by the arm and dragged him to their backyard, next to a bloodied block of wood. It was where they performed the executions, so a long knife lay at the side. He grabbed it and extended it towards Armin.</p><p>"Wash it while I kill the chicken."</p><p>He did not want Armin to experience death yet; he was too young to lose his innocence. If he saw the action he would be taking, he would probably throw up and have nightmares for a week.</p><p>Still, Armin needed to know what it meant to live. To eat, one had to kill. And to survive was achieved by eating, signifying that death was a natural part of life. It was time Armin realised that life and death weren't black or white, but many shades of grey, intertwined tightly.</p><p>Seeing the blond hesitate to take action, looking from the knife to the chicken in the cage with a pale face and wide eyes, Eren sighed and practically shoved the knife in his hands.</p><p>"Go," he ordered sternly, sending chills down his friend's spine and making him obey automatically. Watching his friend leave for the well a minute's walk away, he got into action, opening the cage.</p><p>The chicken tried to escape, his sharp beak lunging forward to peck Eren and force him to retreat, but before he could do so, the boy's arm curled flexibly, his action similar to the fierce attack of a viper, and he grabbed the bird by the neck. Pulling it out, he paid no heed to its struggle and with emotionless eyes, broke its neck in one swift motion.</p><p>Within a few seconds, the chicken ceased moving and fell limp to his hands, lifeless. It was still warm despite dying, and other than the fact that his neck was broken into two pieces, the upper half dangling towards the ground sickeningly, it felt very much alive.</p><p>He stared at the chicken impassively for a few minutes, a detached look in his eyes, before loud footsteps and slight panting came from the side. Eren turned around and saw Armin running over with a flushed face, a sparkling clean knife in his hands, making the brunette nod in approval.</p><p>Taking it from his friend's hand as soon as he was presented, he let him catch his breath while shifting his body to make sure his next actions weren't visible to the other, and slashed at the chicken's neck, severing it from where it hung from cleanly. The head fell to the ground, a small amount of blood exiting it, and Eren turned to beheaded chicken in his hands upside down, letting the blood in it flow down. Before long, the ground beneath them was covered in chicken blood, turning it a muddy red. The pungent smell of blood entered the brunette's nose, but he continued staring impassively.</p><p>From behind him, he could feel the quick, shuddering breaths of Armin, and he turned around to check his state. The blond's face was an ashen colour, and his eyes held a look of horror in them. He looked ready to throw up but was obviously holding himself back from doing so. When the brunette turned around, for some reason, Armin suddenly stiffened, eyes widening even more and his limbs looking as rigid as blocks of wood.</p><p>What Eren did not realise was that the scene in front of Armin was as breathtaking as it was horrifying. The brunette was crouching on the ground, blood-covered hands gripping the chicken softly, and blood dripped down slowly from the headless corpse. Some of the blood had splattered across Eren's clothes, but most importantly, his cheek and the corner of his lip had the crimson liquid on them as well. Within the bloody scene, Eren's cold, emotionless sea-green orbs shone through vibrantly, reaching a state of harmony with the colour of life, blood mixing with the ocean, turning into a magnificent sight.</p><p>Right now, it did not matter what sin Eren had committed: he still looked as heavenly as an angel would, from what Armin had always pictured.</p><p>The serene atmosphere dissipated with Eren standing up and walking up to his horrified friend, while the blond stood paralysed, unable to move, and suddenly, a warm hand clasped upon his eyes, shielding them from the bloody scene laying in front of him.</p><p>As soon as skin met skin Armin was startled out of his frozen state. He opened his mouth to call out to his friend in a mixture of fear of confusion.</p><p>"Eren?"</p><p>He received no answer, but suddenly, warm softness brushed against his forehead, making his breath hitch. He knew for a fact that those were his friend's lips, yet this affectionate gesture was entirely foreign to him.</p><p>His parents had passed away many years ago, and his grandfather wasn't a touchy-feely person, only going as far as ruffling his hair. The typical Eren also never displayed affection this way, at most hugging him, but ordinarily just giving one-armed hugs. Even if this gesture was new, he knew what it meant immediately: familial love. He knew somehow, deep within him that Eren would never be attracted to him romantically: he felt the same way. Romantic love couldn't amount to the feelings they shared as brothers.</p><p>They would always, forever be family, but never lovers. Somehow, he felt a bit sad about that, but he got over the feeling soon.</p><p>He knew that Eren was a lonely person: even if they were so close to each other, a barrier was within them, preventing Armin from taking a step further.</p><p>He knew Eren had his secrets: secrets he never told anyone, secrets he would never tell anyone, always a weight on his shoulders that he resisted every day with every smile he gave.</p><p>He knew Eren wasn't who he portrayed to be: sometimes, those warm smiles of his disappeared, being replaced with an expression of emptiness, and his crystalline sea-green eyes lost their shine, becoming two endless voids, sucking in all the happiness around him.</p><p>Eren could try to hide it, but he was aware that the happy-go-lucky Eren he was familiar with did not exist.</p><p>But even if Eren lied and kept secrets, Armin would always trust his brother in all but blood. Even with every fake smile he was given, his instincts screamed to him that this boy standing in front of him would protect him with all his might until he ceased to breathe.</p><p>Armin also knew he felt the exact same way.</p><p>The feelings of these two children were completely revealed with the blood of a chicken.</p><p>Eren loved Armin, and Armin loved Eren.</p><p>That was all that mattered in the end.</p><p>{}</p><p>Afterwards, as the two children presented their perfectly prepared chicken, Armin stole a glance at Eren. The brunette looked truly happy to be within them, and Armin just <em>knew</em> that the feeling was real. His heart warmed even more than it had with the kiss, and he gobbled up his dinner with an empty mind.</p><p>It was delicious.</p><p>Armin didn't have any nightmares that night. His dream was of an infinitely large pool of water, the exact shade of Eren's eyes.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Broken Sense Of Justice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another year passed. Eren was now eight years old, and his hair which he had decided to grow out as he had in his previous life now reached a little above his shoulder blades, causing him to start carrying elastic bands and pieces of cloth to tie up when needed. Carla was now in a significant dilemma: she either cut it because it had gotten longer than considered appropriate for males in Shiganshina, and let him grow it out. After all, he looked so freaking <em>cute</em> with long hair!</p><p>In the end, at the boy's insistence, he was allowed to keep his long hair, but Eren started to receive contemptuous glares in the streets. According to religion, long hair in men, which 'caused them to look more effeminate', was considered improper. Religion declared both genders must act like their proper genders. It was quite ridiculous, but many people were stout believers, so Eren's decision was not well-liked.</p><p>The boy did not mind the displeasure and disgust directed towards him: why would he, when this amount was like an ant compared to a horse when he thought about his previous life. The negativity he had gotten during his murder spree was incomparable to this measly amount.</p><p>Still, there had been several assault attempts from children around his age due to his 'improper appearance'. He had beaten them all thoroughly and made sure they wouldn't dare look him in the eyes again, but it was still perturbing the hate a simple hairstyle had caused him.</p><p>Especially since following his beating of the second batch, the parents had come and accused him fo being at fault. They had claimed that his hairstyle was distracting their children and being a bad example to them, so he should have it cut. Also, he should be punished for beating up their children, even if they had attacked first because they had a 'valid reason' to do so. They were acting like he was a stripper dancing in front of children, which was actually quite amusing to Eren.</p><p>The same couldn't be said for Carla, though. When the parents had insisted on punishing Eren, the woman exploded, and nearly ripped them apart with her teeth like a wild animal. Instead of gaming them physically, she bashed them to the ground using only words, and wounded their pride so harshly even a month after the incident they would lower their heads, tuck their tails between their legs, and run away if they came across her. </p><p>A rumour also spread around town that claimed Carla was secretly a beast who could lift carriages easily, run from one side of the district to the other within minutes, and even ate human meat for dessert. When he first heard the rumour, Eren laughed his ass off for hours and suffered from a massive stomachache afterwards. That night, he told his parents what he had heard, and while Grisha was also amused, Carla was infuriated that she was being painted that way when she was a 'delicate lady'. </p><p>Laughing at that comment earned Eren the punishment of cleaning the restroom for an entire month, but it was worth it.<em> Delicate lady, his ass</em>. His mother cut down trees in <em>half </em>the time most males took, and when she wanted to, she could curse so creatively the weak would faint.</p><p>{}</p><p>One day mid-summer, Eren and Armin were allowed to venture by themselves after doing their assigned chores as always. The two decided to challenge themselves by creating a map of Shiganshina containing every single alleyway and shop. They were feeling bored after completing their last challenge of pranking as many people by egging them a few days ago. (The challenge had lasted an entire month by the way, before they had gotten bored from egging the same people over and over and experiencing the same reactions repeatedly.) That had earned them a harsh scolding, but it had been worth seeing the people they egged (For some reason, they were the ones that opposed Eren's hairstyle the most. Hmm, what a coincidence!) look remarkably befuddled when an egg made contact with their heads. Eren and Armin had managed to improve their marksmanship by a large margin with this challenge, and now they could hit almost every target even from a hundred meters away.</p><p>After all, in order to avoid getting caught, they had climbed up roofs and hid behind carriages and corners, and thrown the eggs from as far as possible. With Armin calculating the most hidden places and Eren choosing the best one after examining the citizens' behaviours for years now, they only got caught a handful of times and managed to run away even when chased by goddamn<em> sickles</em>. The didn't even want to think about what would happen if they got caught, so they ran as swiftly and hid as smartly as possible.</p><p>This aspect of the challenge served as a stealth and endurance exercise for them and their physical fitness and spatial awareness improved by leaps and bounds. Armin didn't even realise how much his bony limbs had filled up, the previous emptiness taken over by strong, flexible muscles. He had also grown up by several centimetres, his appetite had improved drastically, and he was looking healthier than ever.</p><p>So, to start with their challenge, they bought the largest cloth they could find, around ten square meters large, and some different coloured paint and brushes to draw on it. They would first map the city using pieces of paper, then combine the information on this cloth and write instructions on the lower right corner as they had seen in books.</p><p>Today, they chose to start from the closest border, the gate of Wall Maria. They rushed to the gate that was only open for expeditions, and with their backs facing the wall, started to draw and write down everything they could. Eren took the left side of the road while Armin took the right side, and they jotted down the buildings and their owners, which shops were there, their personal ratings of them, and everything else they could think. They continued to do so until they were sure they had recorded all of their observations from their current position, and afterwards, started to move.</p><p>They had initially planned to separate to work faster, but Carla, who had heard their plan had refused to let them. The backstreets were dangerous even in a peaceful district like Shiganshina, so they could only do their challenge if they stuck together. Although they were mere children, two was still better than one.</p><p>They continued mapping the place for hours, having started a few hours after the sun had risen, and eventually reached a place entirely foreign to them. They roamed the location with bright and excited eyes, smiles widely etched on their faces. Yet, several minutes after their arrival, their elevated demeanour was broken by shouts from the side. The two could be considered reckless, but they knew how to create intricate plans at a moments notice. This ability had helped them a lot when they had gotten into unexpected dangerous situations in the past. Yes, they were children, but their planning abilities rivalled trained tacticians'.</p><p>Nodding at each other, they silenced their footsteps, took careful control over their breathing and approached the voices. Turning a few corners, they encountered a scene that caused a feeling of <em>deja vu </em>to Eren: a boy a few years older than them lying on the ground, body full of bruises and eyes filled with pain and fear, a handful of boys in their pre-teenage years beating him up ruthlessly, taunting and insulting him.</p><p>Eren could see from the corner of his eye that Armin's face had twisted into an ugly expression, and he had clenched his fists, but before the blond could rush forward to punch one of the bullies, he caught his arm firmly. </p><p>Yes, the situation was nearly entirely the same as a few years ago, when he had seen the young Armin again for the first time after his time travel, but there was a difference: he knew Armin, but he was not acquainted with this child on the ground. Armin was a dear comrade to him -his best friend, his brother, his<em> family</em>- but this boy was a stranger. He naturally didn't feel any compassion for the boy being beaten up, unlike what would happen if Armin took his place, so he saw no need to interrupt.</p><p>Saving someone you knew and were close to was different from helping a complete stranger: in one case you felt upset that someone you were fond of was hurt, one the other case someone you did not know in the least was being harmed. Why would you feel compassion for someone you had not met once before? What happened to them had nothing to do with you.</p><p>The blond boy snapped around, mouth open and eyes flaming with fury, but before he could protest at being held back, he saw the empty look in his friend's eyes and flinched. How could Eren look so... apathetic? Somebody was getting battered up in front of them, for Maria's sake, how could he not feel anything for the poor victim?</p><p>Taking his stunned stare as a cue to talk, Eren opened his mouth.</p><p>"Why do you want to save this stranger? He has nothing to do with you," he asked, genuinely curious and ignorant to his friend's feelings. </p><p>In the past, he might have helped a victim like this, feeling a need to help. But, after the war he had gone through, he had lost the ability to sympathise with others. Unless he held a likeable opinion of someone, he would not even think about helping them. It was utterly incomprehensible for him, to help someone unless you liked them or had something to gain from the act.</p><p>Armin felt completely incredulous at his friend's lack of feelings towards someone getting hurt. He opened his mouth, ready to shout, scream in anger at how he could be so unconcerned, but he knew that that would give his location away. Besides, if one looked closely enough, it was easy to see that Eren was sincerely asking this question, the brunette actually did not understand what Armin meant! No words left his mouth as he gaped at the indifferent face of his always smiling friend.</p><p>He blinked once, then twice, mind completely blank, then sighed, burying his face into his hands in frustration. He stayed like that for a few seconds, before he raised his head slightly and looked straight into Eren's eyes.</p><p>"Are you truly ignorant of what I am feeling?" he asked with a shaken tone of voice, eyes boring like bright jewels into Eren's pair of own.</p><p>At Eren's sincere nod, he couldn't help but emit another sigh, this one even longer than the last one. His hands found his hair, pushing the stray strands hitting his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes, backwards in a nervous habit, and closed his eyes. It seemed he was thinking of the best way describe his feelings, and Eren couldn't help but feel grateful at the amount of effort he was putting into answering his question, and proud of how far he had come.</p><p>The shy kid from the past was gone now, taking the waves of insecurity away with him, replaced by a tactical genius with a strong sense of justice. From Eren's efforts of helping Armin over the years, a young bud yet to reach its full potential had appeared, a speck of colour visible from the small crack covering the flower inside already. With the brunette's help, the young blond could now wield a knife with enough mastery to defend himself adequately, understand people's personalities by making small talk with them for a few minutes, and come up with several detailed plans on the spot. His vocabulary had also improved laudably, and he knew how to carefully choose words to avoid misunderstandings, just like a politician did.</p><p>All in all, he was a masterpiece carefully shaped by Eren and had graduated from his friend's meticulously presented lessons into learning by himself using his own observations and philosophy.</p><p>After Armin finally schemed the perfect way to explain himself, he opened his eyes, his blue orbs regaining their usual determined spark. He took a deep breath and started his lecture about the emotion called sympathy.</p><p>"What I feel when I look at that boy getting harmed is called sympathy, the feeling of sadness for another's misfortune," he started. "While I also feel empathy due to having experienced such violence before, which you might not understand, sympathy is experienced even without camaraderie between you and the victim. The reason why I want to help that boy is due to the fact that he is most likely not the one at fault, and is experiencing violence for a disgusting reason such as amusement and a show of superiority. I feel angry because the aggressors do not respect the victim's thoughts and harm him solely to cause him pain and despair. But the reason I feel agitated the most is that there is someone innocent subjected to injustice in front of me, and that offends me on a personal level."</p><p>Eren nodded thoughtfully. He could see why he felt that way, he understood the logic behind the emotion, but it was still utterly foreign and foolish in his opinion. Why help someone just because you find a situation 'unfair'? Fairness did not exist in this world, and while he would be irritated if a circumstance was 'unfair' towards him, he accepted the fact that justness was but a pipe dream in the world they were living. Faced with humanity's selfishness and narrow-mindedness, equality and justice merely could not exist. Even in court, true justice was non-existent, because true justice could only happen if what one did happened to them, an impossible feat, and ignorant at that.</p><p>'An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind', Eren had heard someone say before, and he wholeheartedly agreed. There was no way from stopping humanity from committing evil deeds, and if they were served true justice, just like a wave, after a while, the whole world would get implicated by this so-called 'justice'.</p><p>The brunette, immersed in his thoughts, nodded slowly. </p><p>"I see..." he stated, feeling proud yet morbidly amused. His friend was one of the few who had a legitimate sense of justice, yet he was still too naïve. If selfishness did not exist, his words could surely be commendable, yet selfishness was in human nature. It was a survival instinct created to make sure humans valued themselves enough not to go extinct without difficulty, and something so profoundly integrated into them could not be discarded easily, if not ever. "I cannot say I agree with your sentiment, but I will not keep you from embracing it."</p><p>He internally smiled sadly with the knowledge that after the fall of Wall Maria, something he couldn't prevent even if he wanted to, Armin would experience the truth of human nature. He would see the selfishness, the greed, the cruelty personally, and his innocent ideals would face corruption by the vileness he experienced. It pained him to think that only two years later, Armin would cease being a child, and forcefully grow up into an adult in the shortest time possible. His eyes would never carry the same light it held right now ever again. He would never be able to dream so freely again.</p><p>Hearing his response and seeing his contemplative look, Armin knew he had reached his objective. He couldn't hold himself back anymore now that his friend understood his feelings at least partially, and picking up a handful of stones from the ground, he readied himself to save the wounded boy on the floor.</p><p>Inhaling deeply, he then took a step out of his hiding place and started throwing the stones with pinpoint accuracy. The projectiles hit the bullies on their heads, backs, chest, arms and shins, places that hurt a lot. They scrambled to escape from the rain of stones, but stumbled upon each other and fell to the ground. </p><p>Eren did not stop him from taking action, watching impassively from the side. It was not his fight, but a fight of Armin's ideals against the cruelty of humans. It was his to fight, and his to win or lose. Armin's determination and effort would decide the outcome.</p><p>Unfortunately, just as the bullied were about to give up on escaping and surrender, Armin's supply of stones ran out. He panicked and leaned down and picked up a few hurriedly, but one of the preteens noticed him and rushed to his feet, throwing himself onto the boy. Armin cried out as he was smashed to the ground forcefully, knowing that his back would be bruised severely after this occurrence.</p><p>Seeing him down, the boy sat up and started punching him continuously and as hard as he could, panting in exhaustion and pain. These feelings dispelled, though, when he saw that his attacker was nothing more than a weak kid, and his energy slowly reappeared with the feelings of adrenaline and victoriousness. With every punch, the corners of his mouth curled upwards, a sense of fulfilment and excitement blooming inside him.</p><p>His friends also joined him in harming the boy, and they cruelly stomped on the boy as harshly as they could. Beneath them, Armin felt like a helpless five-year-old again, being hurt for his ideals, yet not able to retaliate, so <em>weak</em>, so <em>pathetic</em>, so <em>worthless</em>. On habit, he raised his head, and his insides froze at the sight of the people striking him smiling so bloodthirstily. </p><p>How could they be so happy when they were hurting people? How could they strike him when they knew he was severely harmed already? How could they not care? How could they be so selfish? How could they? Howcouldtheyhowcouldthey<em>howcouldtheyhOWcOulDtHEy</em>-</p><p>The blond pried his eyes open, only presently noticing that he had closed them due to the pain he was experiencing, and searched for the boy he had saved. Yet, when his eyes met the boy's pair, the boy scrambled to his feet, trembling in fear, and ran away without another glance.</p><p>Feeling disbelieving and betrayed, Armin's eyes desperately searched for Eren, his only hope left, begging for help, but, when his miserable blue orbs met his friend's impassive sea-green ones, those jumbled thoughts came to an abrupt halt. A shiver ran down his spine, realisation settling in his horrified eyes.</p><p><em> Ah, so this was what Eren meant,  </em>was the thought that appeared in his head in that moment of clarity. He now understood what his friend had thought after Armin had explained his principles to him.</p><p>Even if he helped someone, there was no guarantee that he would receive a similar response from that person. People didn't think the same as him: they did not care about others' well-being. They were <em>cruel</em>, they were <em>selfish</em>, they were <em>disgusting</em>. And yet, there was not a single thing he could do about it.</p><p>His naÏve outlook shattered at that moment, fragile glassy pieces raining down upon him from the hit he took, and his previously bright eyes dulled. The gem-like gleam in them turned into deep, dark despair, and he stopped struggling. There was no reason to keep trying, he realised blankly. There was no way he could achieve his ideals. He was pathetic, naÏve Armin, the boy who dreamed big but had nothing to back those dreams. He was a sissy; an ignorant, pathetic orphan. He was stupid, useless,<em> wOrtHLesS</em>.</p><p>Just as he closed his eyes, giving in to this harsh truth he only understood now, the weight of the preteen sitting on him disappeared, and in a second, so did the strikes he was receiving. Prying his eyes open with one last bout of effort, he saw the people who were hurting him -smiling as they did so, eyes like the devil's, filled with so much viciousness he couldn't <em>breathe</em>- lying beneath the owner of the ocean-coloured eyes he trusted so much, crying and whining, snot dripping down their noses and prostrating themselves before the young boy staring them down pathetically, begging to be let off -that they didn't mean to hurt his friend, that they were <em>sorry</em>- and he couldn't help but smile darkly.</p><p>Yes, humans were cruel and selfish, but they were also obedient when need be. Humans obeyed power, the weak were trampled by the strong, the loser bowed to the winner, that was the rule of this dog-eat-dog world.</p><p>Eren kicked the filth beneath his feet with his nose scrunched up in disgust. How disgusting, these pathetic people were. One moment, they oppressed and laughed at others' pain, the other, they hugged thighs, begging to get let off after all the pain and misery they had caused. How disgusting, shameless, selfish these mud beneath his feet were, covered in human skin yet not worthy of being human. How revolting they were, so much that he wanted to throw up from the disgust he felt.</p><p>Instead of dwelling on the nauseating repulsion he felt, he turned to his friend, and made eye contact with his madly glimmering orbs of the boy who had never held so much cruelty in his eyes. He flinched when he saw the wicked smile resting upon his bleeding and swollen lips, and his heart beat erratically with panic -what if this lesson had been too much, what if he had broken him, what if the sweet and determined Armin was lost forever, it was his fault, the boy hadn't been ready, he had destroyed his friend, it was because of him, he had fucked up again -just like before when Armin had gotten in his way, and<em> crunch </em>it had gone, all left of the blond a broken smile filled with tears and unseeing eyes- it was all his fault, hisfault<em>hisfaultHIsfAuLt </em> - and he ran up to his friend and crouched down, worry filling his face as he took the beaten - <em> bRoKEn </em>- form of the blond boy into his arms, tears filling his eyes in fear.</p><p>"Armin, are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't help, I'm sorry I let you get hurt, I'm sorry, I'm so <em>so </em>sorry-" he cried out, words exiting his mouth at light speed, tears dripping down his wet eyes.</p><p>Armin was brought back to his sound mind by the concerned voice of his friend, and when he looked into the eyes of his friend, anxious, something he had never seen before, and crying for <em>him</em>, he couldn't help but freeze. All the voices in his head, telling him he was <em>worthless</em>, <em>pathetic</em>, <em>useless,</em> disappeared at that moment, and he couldn't help but smile.</p><p>So what if people were selfish and cruel? So what if his worldview had changed forcefully? So what if he was in excruciating pain right now?</p><p>All was worth it if he had someone who cared for him. Eren, who taught Armin so much; Eren, who was always patient with Armin; Eren, who called Armin a brother; Eren, who cried for the sake of Armin's pain...</p><p>What else did he need?</p><p>With a smile so warm it could melt snow, eyes so gentle they could turn obsidian into jelly, he raised a hand, caressing the brunette's face. </p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>Those two words meant so much for Eren that he couldn't help but start sobbing, hugging him to his chest as if his life depended on it. Armin kept on smiling at the affectionate gesture, even when his eyes started shedding tears as well, and they held onto each other as they cried their hearts out like they never had before.</p><p>{}</p><p>A few hours later, after Eren treated Armin's bruises and bandaged his cracked bones, they lay by their lake, the beautiful colour of the sunset reflecting from their eyes. As they watched the magnificent scene, Armin couldn't help but turn and look at Eren. The boy looked nothing like the crying boy from a few hours ago, completely calm, but the sight of that rare instance of panic for Armin's sake would never leave the blond's memory. It was carved into the back of his eyelids forever, warming him up whenever he remembered it, reminding him that there was someone who cared about him so much they would completely discard their pride and cry like a baby for his sake.</p><p>As he stared affectionately at his friend's peaceful face, Armin came to another realisation. His eyes widened and he sat up hastily, causing his injuries to protest and a hiss of pain to escape his lips.</p><p>The sound and movement made Eren look his way, a concerned glint in his eyes, but seeing Armin's eyes, once again filled with the brightness he had before, only looking older now, he couldn't help but be shocked frozen. The blond boy was shining in the light of the setting sun, brighter than the brightest of stars, and Eren couldn't help but let his glued eyes take in every detail of his friend at his best.</p><p>The soft wind ruffled the blond's hair lightly, letting the strands brush against his forehead, and the boy smiled dazzlingly.</p><p>"So what if people are selfish? So what if people are cruel? So what if people aren't fair?" he asked nobody in particular. His voice was filled with a slight hysteria, and yet as he started laughing, Eren could find no fault in it. "It doesn't matter! None of that matters!" His laughter grew louder and slid into insanity. "None of that fucking matters!" He calmed down here, taking a deep breath to calm his breathlessness. His smile turned genuine, and his eyes crinkled at the edges, eyes taking on a soft shine. "Compared to you, nothing matters! As long as you are next to me, the injustice of this world is irrelevant. As long as you are next to me, I can be cursed, beaten, tortured, and yet I'll still be happy. As long as you are next to me, I can take on anything!" He then raised his arm, pointing to him. "Because you are the sole light in this cold, dark world encasing me."</p><p>Eren blinked rapidly, trying to find an appropriate response to this confession, but in the end, all he did was raise his arm and touch the pointing finger with his own, giving him an encouraging smile.</p><p>Even if it was non-verbal, the acceptance in the gesture made Armin grin even brighter, and he threw himself on the brunette with joyful laughter. Eren yelped at the sudden action, eyes widening worriedly.</p><p>"Armin, your wounds!"</p><p>The blond boy just laughed even harder, and soon enough, a smile bloomed in Eren's face as well, and he joined his friend at his joy.</p><p>So maybe he had cracked Armin a bit! That was fine. If he was happy, everything was just fine. If the people previous to him were happy, then even if they were facing a calamity, Eren knew everything would be just fine.</p><p> </p>
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